Alicia L. Bertone | |
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Born | New York, US | September 3, 1956
Occupation(s) | Academic administrator, researcher, and veterinary surgeon |
Title | ENGIE-Axium Endowed Dean’s Chair |
Academic background | |
Education | B.S., Life Sciences D.V.M Veterinary Medicine M.S., Pathology Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences |
Alma mater | Cornell University Colorado State University |
Academic work | |
Institutions | Ohio State University |
Alicia L. Bertone is an American academic,administrator,researcher,and veterinary surgeon. She is a professor and a provost in the Office of Academic Affairs at the Ohio State University. Bertone has worked as the Vice-Provost of Graduate Studies,Associate Vice Provost of Data and Analysis,the ENGIE-Axium Endowed Dean of the Graduate School,and the Trueman Family Endowed Chair at the Ohio State University. [1] Bertone is a Professor of Veterinary Clinical Sciences,and,as the Trueman Endowed Chair,established and directed the Comparative Orthopedic Research Laboratory at the University. [2]
Bertone has published over 400 research papers,proceedings,and abstracts in the fields of biomedical science including gene therapy for the treatment of cartilage injury and bone repair. Specifically,her research has focused on the progressive translation of basic science in molecular engineering,cell therapy,ortho-biologic therapies,as well as preclinical and clinical animal models of pharmaceuticals and biologics. She designed and patented the first commercial equine microarray. [3]
Bertone is board-certified in equine surgery and equine sports medicine and rehabilitation and is a member of university research initiatives such as the Consortium for the Advancement of Neuromusculoskeletal Science and Locomotion and the Center for Clinical and Translational Science. [4]
Bertone started her initial education in the Fine Arts at the School of American Ballet in New York and later transitioned to the sciences. She studied at Cornell University and received her B.S. degree in Life Sciences with Honors and her D.V.M degree in 1977 and 1982,respectively. She was then enrolled at Colorado State University where she completed her M.S. degree in Pathology in 1986,and her Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Sciences the following year. [5] In 2001,Bertone completed an NIH Fellowship at Harvard in Gene Therapy from the Center for Molecular Orthopaedics. [1]
Following her doctoral studies,Bertone was an Assistant Professor and Director of the Equine Research Laboratory at Louisiana State University as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Sciences before joining Ohio State University in 1989. She reached full Professor in 1997 and was appointed to the Trueman Family Endowed Chair for two consecutive terms in translation and interdisciplinary research. [2] Bertone has also been appointed as an adjunct professor within the University's Department of Orthopedics in the College of Medicine for over 25 years.
Bertone has also held several administrative appointments. From 2007 till 2013,she directed industry research at OSU Sports Medicine Center,and was appointed as Chair of the Post-professional Education Committee in 2011. Bertone was elected to the President's &Provost's Leadership Institute in 2017. [6] She also served as an Orthopedic Surgeon at Galbreath Equine Center from 1990 till 2018. [1]
Bertone's Google Scholar index reports an h-index of 49 with over 6300 citations. Bertone has collaborated with industry partners on novel therapies,both pharmaceutical and biotherapeutics. [3]
Bertone studied the response of the joint after a repetitive injury and the rest period along with the physiological processes involved in the repairing of the damage. She highlighted the changes and complex interactions within the joint during the inflammatory process,and the available therapeutic modalities. [7] She conducted study to evaluate various synovial fluid cytokines and eicosanoids for the diagnosis of joint disease and categories of joint disease. She found interleukin‐6 to be an efficient screening test for the presence of joint disease when lameness is difficult to identify. [8] Bertone conducted randomized controlled clinical trials to compare efficacy of firocoxib and phenylbutazone paste formulations in horses with osteoarthritis,and found comparable efficacies of both drugs. [9] She published a paper in early 2010s regarding the reduction in interleukin-1β(IL-1β) signaling by RNA interference-based transcript reduction and receptor blockade method,and the quantification of changes incurred on transcript expression of additional mediators. She provided evidence for the in vivo role of IL-1βin spontaneous osteoarthritis. [10]
Bertone studied the healing of rabbit bilateral ulnar osteotomies after surgery,in response to percutaneous injection of transgenic adenoviral (Ad) bone morphogenetic protein‐6 (BMP‐6) vector. She found BMP‐6 to be osteo-inductive in vivo resulting in acceleration of bone repair. [11] She conducted a study to investigate the feasibility of osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cells using two BMP genes and 3D alginate culture systems. Her research indicated that transduction of BMDMSC with bone morphogenetic proteins‐2 or ‐6 can accelerate osteogenic differentiation and mineralization of stem cells in culture. [12] She also achieved the repair of articular fractures in vivo using direct stem cell injection transduced with BMP-2, [13] however,the treatment was found to be insufficient to provide long-term quality osteochondral repair. [14]
In late 2000s,Bertone published a paper regarding a study on Standardbred racehorses having moderate to severe midbody suspensory ligament desmitis (MSD). She found positive results regarding treatment by intralesional injection of a single dose of platelet-rich plasma,followed by gradual increase in exercise. [15]
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a type of degenerative joint disease that results from breakdown of joint cartilage and underlying bone. It is believed to be the fourth leading cause of disability in the world, affecting 1 in 7 adults in the United States alone. The most common symptoms are joint pain and stiffness. Usually the symptoms progress slowly over years. Other symptoms may include joint swelling, decreased range of motion, and, when the back is affected, weakness or numbness of the arms and legs. The most commonly involved joints are the two near the ends of the fingers and the joint at the base of the thumbs, the knee and hip joints, and the joints of the neck and lower back. The symptoms can interfere with work and normal daily activities. Unlike some other types of arthritis, only the joints, not internal organs, are affected.
Glucosamine (C6H13NO5) is an amino sugar and a prominent precursor in the biochemical synthesis of glycosylated proteins and lipids. Glucosamine is part of the structure of two polysaccharides, chitosan and chitin. Glucosamine is one of the most abundant monosaccharides. Produced commercially by the hydrolysis of shellfish exoskeletons or, less commonly, by fermentation of a grain such as corn or wheat, glucosamine has many names depending on country.
Chondrocytes are the only cells found in healthy cartilage. They produce and maintain the cartilaginous matrix, which consists mainly of collagen and proteoglycans. Although the word chondroblast is commonly used to describe an immature chondrocyte, the term is imprecise, since the progenitor of chondrocytes can differentiate into various cell types, including osteoblasts.
Chondrogenesis is the biological process through which cartilage tissue is formed and developed. This intricate and tightly regulated cellular differentiation pathway plays a crucial role in skeletal development, as cartilage serves as a fundamental component of the embryonic skeleton. The term "chondrogenesis" is derived from the Greek words "chondros," meaning cartilage, and "genesis," meaning origin or formation.
Bone morphogenetic protein 7 or BMP7 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the BMP7 gene.
Bone morphogenetic protein 2 or BMP-2 belongs to the TGF-β superfamily of proteins.
Bone morphogenetic protein 4 is a protein that in humans is encoded by BMP4 gene. BMP4 is found on chromosome 14q22-q23.
Bone morphogenetic protein 10 (BMP10) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the BMP10 gene.
Bone morphogenetic protein 5 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the BMP5 gene.
Bone morphogenetic protein 1, also known as BMP1, is a protein which in humans is encoded by the BMP1 gene. There are seven isoforms of the protein created by alternate splicing.
Bone morphogenetic protein 3, also known as osteogenin, is a protein in humans that is encoded by the BMP3 gene.
Growth differentiation factor 2 (GDF2) also known as bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-9 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the GDF2 gene. GDF2 belongs to the transforming growth factor beta superfamily.
Growth/differentiation factor 5 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the GDF5 gene.
Growth differentiation factor 6 (GDF6) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the GDF6 gene.
The interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the IL1RN gene.
Tiludronic acid is a bisphosphonate used for treatment of Paget's disease of bone in human being medicine. It has the tradename Skelid. In veterinary medicine, tiludronic acid is used to treat navicular disease and bone spavin in horses. Its tradenames are Tildren and Equidronate. It is approved for treatment of navicular disease and distal, tarsal osteoarthritis in Europe, and was approved for treatment of navicular disease in the United States in 2014.
An inflammatory cytokine or proinflammatory cytokine is a type of signaling molecule that is secreted from immune cells like helper T cells (Th) and macrophages, and certain other cell types that promote inflammation. They include interleukin-1 (IL-1), IL-6, IL-12, and IL-18, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interferon gamma (IFNγ), and granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and play an important role in mediating the innate immune response. Inflammatory cytokines are predominantly produced by and involved in the upregulation of inflammatory reactions.
Gene therapy for osteoarthritis is the application of gene therapy to treat osteoarthritis (OA). Unlike pharmacological treatments which are administered locally or systemically as a series of interventions, gene therapy aims to establish sustained therapeutic effect after a single, local injection.
The treatment of equine lameness is a complex subject. Lameness in horses has a variety of causes, and treatment must be tailored to the type and degree of injury, as well as the financial capabilities of the owner. Treatment may be applied locally, systemically, or intralesionally, and the strategy for treatment may change as healing progresses. The end goal is to reduce the pain and inflammation associated with injury, to encourage the injured tissue to heal with normal structure and function, and to ultimately return the horse to the highest level of performance possible following recovery.
A disease-modifying osteoarthritis drug (DMOAD) is a disease-modifying drug that would inhibit or even reverse the progression of osteoarthritis. Since the main hallmark of osteoarthritis is cartilage loss, a typical DMOAD would prevent the loss of cartilage and potentially regenerate it. Other DMOADs may attempt to help repair adjacent tissues by reducing inflammation. A successful DMOAD would be expected to show an improvement in patient pain and function with an improvement of the health of the joint tissues.