Alexander Knights

Welcome to the newest additions to our growing team — Evan, and two familiar faces from Michigan, Luke and Izzy! Very excited to have you all on board and to see you learn and grow 💪🏼

25.06.2025 00:32 — 👍 2    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

Exciting times in the lab: BME undergrad Anna presented her research project on the innate-adaptive immune interface in OA - very proud of her! And we were lucky to host newly-minted Dr Lindsey Lammlin @zlammlin.bsky.social at WashU and show her around St Louis 🍻🦀

12.05.2025 17:43 — 👍 3    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 1

CXCL16 mediates nociception and inflammation in murine post-traumatic osteoarthritis This study investigates the role of the chemokine CXCL16 and its receptor, CXCR6, in post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) and joint nociception, highlighting the potential of targeting the CXCL16-CXCR...

I’m happy to share a recent pre-print of my PhD work looking at the role of CXCL16 in murine joint pain and inflammation! 🐭 If you missed it yesterday, come find me today at #OARSI2025 🇰🇷 poster 614 and we can chat about this exciting study! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

25.04.2025 22:48 — 👍 7    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0

Fantastic time at my first OARSI meeting last week in Incheon, South Korea 🇰🇷 Highlights were sessions on omics, sex differences, networking…(and a sneaky Coldplay concert!). Lots of fresh ideas and motivation!

03.05.2025 03:00 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

Come check out work from the Maerz Lab at OARSI 2025! #OARSI2025 🇰🇷

24.04.2025 02:47 — 👍 6    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

Ready to kick off OARSI 2025 in Incheon, Korea! Starting the meeting with a terrific workshop on Sex Differences in OA. Excited for a great conference! #OARSI2025

23.04.2025 22:11 — 👍 5    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

A standardized, open-source, portable model for noninvasive joint injury in mice Preclinical models of osteoarthritis (OA) are crucial for the study of disease mechanisms and for the development of critically-needed disease-modifying therapeutics. While surgical OA models, such as the destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM), have been the gold standard in the field for decades, noninvasive joint loading-based models have increased in popularity and utility. To facilitate standardization of the noninvasive anterior cruciate ligament rupture (ACLR) model in mice, we present the Mobile Joint-Injury Operator (MoJO) - an open-source protocol with accompanying fixtures and data, designed for a low-cost, commercially-available, portable uniaxial testing system with a small footprint. We provide 3d-printable fixture designs and a rapid, highly-repeatable ACLR-mediated joint injury protocol that results in the expected post-traumatic osteoarthritis phenotype in male and female C56Bl/6 mice. We then describe the expected mechanical data from the injury procedure and offer various troubleshooting strategies. Finally, we summarize the resultant PTOA phenotype by knee hyperalgesia testing, μCT imaging, flow cytometry, and histological assessment. Increased standardization of this model is a critical aspect of the overall refinement of animal models of OA. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.

Ending the week with a new Maerz lab preprint! @maerzlab.bsky.social

We present an open source protocol for the ACLR model, with designs for 3D printable fixtures, QC and analysis codes, troubleshooting tips, representative data, and expected phenotyping outcomes.

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

14.03.2025 21:01 — 👍 3    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0

I will be at ORS @orssociety.bsky.social in Phoenix this week - so if you’re there too, I would love to catch up!

08.02.2025 00:48 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Joint Crosstalk Lab tbd

And we are hiring at all levels! If you are passionate about any of the following, please get in touch — tissue crosstalk, arthritis, immunology, fat, macrophages, fibroblasts, multi-omics, Wnt signaling, gene regulation, and much more… www.jointcrosstalk.com

08.02.2025 00:48 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

I am so grateful for my time at Michigan, especially the phenomenal mentorship of Tristan Maerz and Kurt Hankenson. Leaving will be bittersweet, but I am very excited to start my next chapter alongside incredible colleagues at WashU.

08.02.2025 00:48 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

BLUESKY DEBUT -- I’m very happy to share that next month I will be joining WashU’s Dept of Orthopaedic Surgery to launch the Joint Crosstalk Lab @jointcrosstalk.bsky.social! Our major objective will be to understand cellular and molecular mechanisms in joint health, disease, and regeneration.

08.02.2025 00:48 — 👍 9    🔁 0    💬 2    📌 0