Gazit Lab

Novel therapeutic platforms, which are based on biological therapies, are required to overcome extensive skeletal tissue loss or degeneration and to replace the currently used synthetic prostheses. Complex clinical challenges, such as intervertebral disc degeneration, multiple rib fractures, tendon and ligament injuries, non-union fractures, osteoarthritis and diagnosing lower-back pain pose a great challenge both to health systems and to clinicians. The Gazit Laboratory has been investigating the use of adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for skeletal tissue regeneration for the last 20 years and recently developed promising studies based on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) and also gene therapy for bone and intervertebral disc (IVD) regeneration. The Gazit Lab is exploring a promising approach that involves the use of MRI to detect small chemical changes in IVDs. This method is accurate, non-invasive and allows for a much more targeted course of action to mitigate lower-back pain. We succeed in implementing the use of ultrasound-mediated gene delivery to enable accelerated bone and ligament/tendon repair after critical fractures and ruptures that don't spontaneously heal. The Gazit Laboratory is developing a unique approach that combines the use of bone allografts, produced in tissue banks, and a recombinant hormone to restore the original structure of the damaged jaw after massive bone loss. Moreover, having already successfully implanted bio-scaffolds in arthritic wrist joints, we are challenged now with expanding the usability of this technique to the weight-bearing knee joint.

In summary, studies in the Gazit Lab have shown that stem cells and gene therapy were able to regenerate tissues in a wide variety of skeletal injury models including complex limb, skull, rib and jaw fractures and even tendon tears.

The Gazit Laboratory is affiliated with the Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute, Biomedical Imaging Research Institute, Surgery Department and Orthopaedics Department.