# Mitochondrial dysfunction as a link between cartilage injury and osteoarthritis

> **NIH NIH K08** · CORNELL UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $14,023

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
This application seeks support for a specialty board certified (American College of Veterinary Surgeons)
equine veterinary surgeon to complete the transition from clinical practice to a career as a translational arthritis
researcher. The applicant will work at Cornell University under the guidance of Dr. Lisa A. Fortier (PhD advisor,
Mentor) and Dr. Larry Bonassar (minor PhD advisor). Dr. Fortier, a clinician-scientist, is an equine orthopedic
surgeon and an expert in the fields of osteoarthritis research, cartilage repair, and regenerative medicine. Dr.
Larry Bonassar, a biomedical engineer, is an expert in the areas of musculoskeletal tissue engineering and
mechanical analysis of cartilage. A well-established collaboration between the Fortier and Bonassar
Laboratories is at the core of Cornell’s Cartilage Group, an interdisciplinary research, training, and mentoring
environment. Both have outstanding records for training graduate students and mentoring postdoctoral
associates.
This proposal is divided into two phases, a Mentored Phase, and a Transition-to-Independence Phase. During
Phase I, the applicant will acquire a deeper understanding of basic cartilage biology, mitochondrial biology, and
osteoarthritis, and complete a PhD degree. The applicant and her mentor have assembled an interdisciplinary
team of collaborators to advise, mentor, and aid in the research training of the applicant during this phase.
They are committed to helping the applicant learn important concepts and research methods needed to
complete the proposed studies, and understand the biological significance of their results. They are also
dedicated to mentoring the candidate through Phase II, the transition to research independence.
In Phase II (Transition to Independence), the applicant will apply the knowledge, skills, and insights gained in
Phase I to study impact-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in an vivo model of early ankle post-traumatic
osteoarthritis (PTOA) developed in the Fortier laboratory. We expect these studies will further the fundamental
understanding of the role of mitochondrial dysfunction in early PTOA, and will provide evidence for the clinical
use of mitochondria stabilizing drugs to halt PTOA progression. The applicant will complete a rigorous training
program in hypothesis driven research and gain the scientific and beyond-the-bench career skills necessary to
establish a career in translational medicine with a niche in the area of cartilage mitochondrial pathobiology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10399713
- **Project number:** 3K08AR068470-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** CORNELL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Michelle Lee Delco
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $14,023
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2021-06-01 → 2022-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10399713

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10399713, Mitochondrial dysfunction as a link between cartilage injury and osteoarthritis (3K08AR068470-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10399713. Licensed CC0.

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