Overview
Holly Leddy holds a PhD in biomedical engineering from Duke University and an BA in biology from Bowdoin College. She is currently the Assistant Director of the Shared Materials and Instrumentation Facility (SMIF) at Duke University, where she leads both the Outreach and the Characterization teams. She has expertise in many types of microscopy and worked for many years in the field of cartilage mechanobiology. She has also created a vibrant outreach program at SMIF that brings the excitement of nanoscale science to thousands of people annually through both virtual and hands-on experiences.
Recent Publications
Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 as a regulator of induced pluripotent stem cell chondrogenesis.
Journal Article Stem Cells · November 2021 Featured Publication Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a polymodal calcium-permeable cation channel that is highly expressed in cartilage and is sensitive to a variety of extracellular stimuli. The expression of this channel has been associated with the proce ... Full text Open Access Link to item CiteInflammatory signaling sensitizes Piezo1 mechanotransduction in articular chondrocytes as a pathogenic feed-forward mechanism in osteoarthritis.
Journal Article Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A · March 30, 2021 Osteoarthritis (OA) is a painful and debilitating condition of synovial joints without any disease-modifying therapies [A. M. Valdes, T. D. Spector, Nat. Rev. Rheumatol. 7, 23-32 (2011)]. We previously identified mechanosensitive PIEZO channels, PIEZO1 and ... Full text Open Access Link to item CiteObesity alters the collagen organization and mechanical properties of murine cartilage.
Journal Article Sci Rep · January 15, 2021 Featured Publication Osteoarthritis is a debilitating disease characterized by cartilage degradation and altered cartilage mechanical properties. Furthermore, it is well established that obesity is a primary risk factor for osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study was to inve ... Full text Open Access Link to item CiteRecent Grants
NSF Engineering Research Center for Precision Microbiome Engineering (PreMiEr)
ResearchInvestigator · Awarded by National Science Foundation · 2022 - 2027NNCI: North Carolina Research Triangle Nanotechnology Network (RTNN)
Institutional SupportResearch Engineer · Awarded by North Carolina State University · 2020 - 2025Acquisition of a VRS1250 Video-Rate Imaging Module for a Shared-Use Asylum-Cypher Atomic Force Microscope (AFM)
EquipmentTechnician · Awarded by North Carolina Biotechnology Center · 2023 - 2024View All Grants