School of Dentistry Seminar Series – Dr Jiao Jiao Li, University of Technology Sydney - Tissue engineering & regenerative medicine in chronic bone and joint treatment

Bio

Dr Jiao Jiao Li is a Senior Lecturer at UTS, leading a research program in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. As a biomedical engineer and medical researcher, Jiao Jiao works at the interface of engineering, science and medicine to deliver new regenerative therapies for chronic diseases, with a focus on bone and joint disorders.

Jiao Jiao’s work on developing biomaterials and stem cell-based therapies has resulted in >80 publications and a number of awards, including recently in 2022 the Young Investigator Award from Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (1 of 2 Asia-Pacific awardees, from the premier international society in her field), Premier’s Prize for NSW Early Career Researcher of the Year (Physical Sciences), NSW Young Tall Poppy Scientist of the Year, and in 2021 the Australian winner of Falling Walls Lab.

Jiao Jiao’s research has been supported by a NHMRC Early Career Fellowship, and the ARC Training Centre for Innovative BioEngineering where she served as Co-Deputy Director. Supporting her passion for science communication and advocacy, Jiao Jiao serves as Board Director (in the role of Early Career Representative) for Science & Technology Australia (STA), and was also selected by STA as a 2021-22 Superstar of STEM to represent Australian women in STEM.

Abstract

Chronic diseases are long-lasting health conditions with huge socioeconomic consequences, affecting about 1 in 2 Australians. Musculoskeletal conditions including bone and joint diseases are leading contributors to the chronic disease burden, affecting 1 in 3 Australians and significantly increase the risk of death from other concurrent diseases such as cardiovascular disease. These conditions have no cure, and their long-term management imposes an enormous burden on global healthcare systems.

Dr Jiao Jiao Li's research program based on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine has the broad aim of fulfilling unmet clinical needs in treating chronic bone and joint conditions. One aspect of their research involved the development of synthetic bioceramic grafts for bone repair and validating them in large animal models, in challenging scenarios replicating clinical cases. This work served as a cornerstone in developing world-first implants that help regrow natural bone, and in bringing Australian inventions to the global orthopaedic market. This current research focuses on developing regenerative therapies for joint diseases, using osteoarthritis as a model disease. By building a deeper understanding of the interactions between stem cells and diseased cells using a physiologically relevant in vitro osteoarthritis model, strategies can be developed for manipulating the stem cells to alter their secretome and generate cell-derived therapeutics as new treatment options for osteoarthritis. The therapeutic discovery platform established as part of this work can also be adapted to develop new strategies for treating other types of chronic diseases.

A light lunch will be provided after the seminar.