
Biomedical Science Tower East 1643
Mailing address:
BST East 1643
200 Lothrop St
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Email: nvv1@pitt.edu
Phone: 412-728-5003
Assistant:
Michelle Darabant meck1@pitt.edu
Other Affiliations:
Department of Pathology, McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine
MEMBERS
Nam Vo, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Research Interests
The overall goal of Dr. Vo’s research is to understand the role of cellular senescence in promoting spinal aging and low back pain. Specifically, his lab is interested in elucidating the mechanisms of how ATM drives NF-κB-dependent DNA-damage-induced senescence in the intervertebral disc.
Technique Expertise or Resources to share
Rodent models: rat model of annular puncture-induced lumbar intervertebral disc degeneration and back pain behavior, Ercc1-/D progeroid mouse model.
Assays: proteoglycan synthesis (35S-sulfate) and collage synthesis (3H-L-proline) assay.
Tissue cultures: primary human annulus fibrosus, nucleus pulposus, cartilaginous endplate 2D and 3D cell cultures, functional spine unit (FSU) culture in biomechanical bioreactor.
Keywords
Proteoglycan, cellular senescence, intervertebral disc, low back pain, DNA damage, NFkB, ATM
Laboratory
Lab Members
Gwendolyn Sowa | Co-Director | sowaga@upmc.edu |
Dong Wang | lab manager | dwang1@pitt.edu |
Qing, Dong | lab technician | Qing.Dong@chp.edu |
Rebecca Kristchil | graduate student | RAK148@pitt.edu |