Catherine Kuo

The Kuo Lab is dedicated to developing tissue engineering and therapeutic solutions for adult tendon injuries and diseases, as well as tendon-related birth defects, uniquely informed by mechanisms of embryonic tendondevelopment and scarless healing. We are discovering mechanisms of embryonic tendon development and regeneration to identify putative candidates for adult tendon therapeutic development. We are also studying the mechanobiology of embryonic tendon development with the goal of developing in utero interventions to prevent and treat tendon-associated musculoskeletal birth deformities that are due to abnormal fetal biomechanics. We have been pioneering novel bioengineering tools and approaches with which we are investigating how physicochemical cues regulate functional tendon formation from early to late embryonic/fetal development. Our research is identifying novel regulators of tendon extracellular matrix and mechanical property elaboration and developing therapeutic interventions for adult and fetal tendons based on these regulators.