Amy Lynn McNulty
Associate Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery
The McNulty Lab is working to develop strategies to prevent osteoarthritis and to promote tissue repair and regeneration following joint injury. In order to accomplish this, we are working in three main areas. 1) We are working to understand the pathways that are activated by normal and injurious mechanical loading of cartilage and meniscus and how these mechanotransduction pathways are altered during aging, injury, and tissue degeneration. A greater understanding of alterations in mechanosensitive signaling mechanisms with aging and injury will likely reveal potential targets to promote tissue repair and prevent tissue degeneration and osteoarthritis development. 2) We are developing meniscus tissue engineered constructs that will be utilized to repair and replace meniscus tissue lost due to injury and surgical resection. 3) We are focusing on the biological and biomechanical changes that occur in the joint following meniscus injury and how these may contribute to osteoarthritis development.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
- Associate Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, Clinical Science Departments 2022
- Associate Professor in the Department of Pathology, Pathology, Clinical Science Departments 2019
- Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Pratt School of Engineering 2022
- Associate Research Professor of Cell Biology, Cell Biology, Basic Science Departments 2022
- Affiliate of the Duke Regeneration Center, Regeneration Next Initiative, Basic Science Departments 2021
Contact Information
- 355A Msrb1, Durham, NC 27710
- DUMC Box 3093, Durham, NC 27710
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alr@duke.edu
(919) 684-6882
- Background
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Education, Training, & Certifications
- Ph.D., Duke University 2005
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Previous Appointments & Affiliations
- Associate Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, Clinical Science Departments 2020 - 2022
- Associate Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, Clinical Science Departments 2019 - 2020
- Assistant Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, Clinical Science Departments 2015 - 2019
- Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology, Pathology, Clinical Science Departments 2015 - 2019
- Medical Instructor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, Clinical Science Departments 2012 - 2015
- Recognition
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In the News
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JUN 19, 2019 Duke Health News
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- Research
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Selected Grants
- University Training Program in Biomolecular and Tissue Engineering awarded by National Institutes of Health 1994 - 2027
- Cell and Molecular Biology Training Program awarded by National Institutes of Health 2021 - 2026
- Biomechanical and Biological Predictors of Cartilage Health Following Meniscus Injury awarded by National Institutes of Health 2021 - 2026
- In Vivo Knee Motion and ACL Biomechanics During Dynamic Activities awarded by National Institutes of Health 2019 - 2025
- Mechanical Biomarkers of Chronic Low Back Pain awarded by National Institutes of Health 2019 - 2024
- Mechanotransduction in Meniscus Health and Repair awarded by National Institutes of Health 2019 - 2023
- Weight loss, in vivo cartilage mechanics, and joint health awarded by National Institutes of Health 2019 - 2023
- Using 3D Nonwovens Fabrication to Engineer Region-Specific Extracellular Matrix Structure and Bioactivity of the Knee Meniscus awarded by North Carolina State University 2020 - 2023
- Development of Chondroregenerative Therapy for Human Osteoarthritis awarded by University of Rochester Medical Center 2017 - 2022
- Organization and Function of Cellular Structure awarded by National Institutes of Health 1975 - 2020
- Improving Meniscus Repair Using a Meniscus-derived Matrix Allograft awarded by Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation 2018 - 2020
- Obesity, Biomechanics, and Inflammation in Osteoarthritis awarded by National Institutes of Health 2013 - 2016
- Strategies to Enhance Integrative Repair of the Meniscus awarded by National Institutes of Health 2008 - 2011
- Publications & Artistic Works
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Selected Publications
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Academic Articles
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Bradley, Patrick X., Karl N. Thomas, Avery L. Kratzer, Allison C. Robinson, Jocelyn R. Wittstein, Louis E. DeFrate, and Amy L. McNulty. “The Interplay of Biomechanical and Biological Changes Following Meniscus Injury.” Curr Rheumatol Rep 25, no. 2 (February 2023): 35–46. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-022-01093-3.Full Text Link to Item
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Andress, Benjamin, Maureane Hoffman, and Amy L. McNulty. “Analytical validation and quality control/quality assurance practices for improved rigor and reproducibility of biochemical assays in orthopaedic research.” J Orthop Res, December 14, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1002/jor.25498.Full Text Link to Item
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Buchanan, Michael W., Bridgette D. Furman, Amy L. McNulty, and Steven A. Olson. “Combination of Lidocaine and IL-1Ra Is Effective at Reducing Degradation of Porcine Cartilage Explants.” Am J Sports Med 50, no. 7 (June 2022): 1997–2006. https://doi.org/10.1177/03635465221090611.Full Text Link to Item
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Andress, Benjamin D., Rebecca M. Irwin, Ishaan Puranam, Brenton D. Hoffman, and Amy L. McNulty. “A Tale of Two Loads: Modulation of IL-1 Induced Inflammatory Responses of Meniscal Cells in Two Models of Dynamic Physiologic Loading.” Front Bioeng Biotechnol 10 (2022): 837619. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2022.837619.Full Text Link to Item
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Cutcliffe, Hattie C., Pavan K. Kottamasu, Amy L. McNulty, Adam P. Goode, Charles E. Spritzer, and Louis E. DeFrate. “Mechanical metrics may show improved ability to predict osteoarthritis compared to T1rho mapping.” J Biomech 129 (December 2, 2021): 110771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2021.110771.Full Text Link to Item
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Arrigoni, Paolo, Jacob C. Ruprecht, Dawn A. D. Chasse, Katherine A. Glass, Benjamin Andress, Farshid Guilak, J Brice Weinberg, and Amy L. McNulty. “Optimization of Meniscus Cell Transduction Using Lentivirus and Adeno-Associated Virus for Gene Editing and Tissue Engineering Applications.” Cartilage 13, no. 2_suppl (December 2021): 1602S-1607S. https://doi.org/10.1177/1947603519880321.Full Text Link to Item
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Kim-Wang, Sophia Y., Abigail G. Holt, Alyssa M. McGowan, Stephanie T. Danyluk, Adam P. Goode, Brian C. Lau, Alison P. Toth, et al. “Immune cell profiles in synovial fluid after anterior cruciate ligament and meniscus injuries.” Arthritis Res Ther 23, no. 1 (November 4, 2021): 280. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13075-021-02661-1.Full Text Link to Item
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Andress, Benjamin, Jason H. Kim, Hattie C. Cutcliffe, Annunziato Amendola, Adam P. Goode, Shyni Varghese, Louis E. DeFrate, and Amy L. McNulty. “Meniscus cell regional phenotypes: Dedifferentiation and reversal by biomaterial embedding.” J Orthop Res 39, no. 10 (October 2021): 2177–86. https://doi.org/10.1002/jor.24954.Full Text Link to Item
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Lyons, L. P., J. B. Weinberg, J. R. Wittstein, and A. L. McNulty. “Blood in the joint: effects of hemarthrosis on meniscus health and repair techniques.” Osteoarthritis Cartilage 29, no. 4 (April 2021): 471–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2020.11.008.Full Text Link to Item
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Lee, Whasil, Robert J. Nims, Alireza Savadipour, Qiaojuan Zhang, Holly A. Leddy, Fang Liu, Amy L. McNulty, Yong Chen, Farshid Guilak, and Wolfgang B. Liedtke. “Inflammatory signaling sensitizes Piezo1 mechanotransduction in articular chondrocytes as a pathogenic feed-forward mechanism in osteoarthritis.” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 118, no. 13 (March 30, 2021). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2001611118.Full Text Open Access Copy Link to Item
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Nims, Robert J., Lara Pferdehirt, Noelani B. Ho, Alireza Savadipour, Jeremiah Lorentz, Sima Sohi, Jordan Kassab, et al. “A synthetic mechanogenetic gene circuit for autonomous drug delivery in engineered tissues.” Sci Adv 7, no. 5 (January 2021). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abd9858.Full Text Link to Item
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Collins, Amber T., Micaela Kulvaranon, Charles E. Spritzer, Amy L. McNulty, and Louis E. DeFrate. “The Influence of Obesity and Meniscal Coverage on In Vivo Tibial Cartilage Thickness and Strain.” Orthop J Sports Med 8, no. 12 (December 2020): 2325967120964468. https://doi.org/10.1177/2325967120964468.Full Text Link to Item
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Hidalgo Perea, Sofia, Lucas P. Lyons, James F. Nishimuta, J Brice Weinberg, and Amy L. McNulty. “Evaluation of culture conditions for in vitro meniscus repair model systems using bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.” Connect Tissue Res 61, no. 3–4 (2020): 322–37. https://doi.org/10.1080/03008207.2019.1680656.Full Text Link to Item
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Lyons, Lucas P., Sofia Hidalgo Perea, J Brice Weinberg, Jocelyn R. Wittstein, and Amy L. McNulty. “Meniscus-Derived Matrix Bioscaffolds: Effects of Concentration and Cross-Linking on Meniscus Cellular Responses and Tissue Repair.” Int J Mol Sci 21, no. 1 (December 19, 2019). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21010044.Full Text Open Access Copy Link to Item
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Ruprecht, Jacob C., Taylor D. Waanders, Christopher R. Rowland, James F. Nishimuta, Katherine A. Glass, Jennifer Stencel, Louis E. DeFrate, Farshid Guilak, J Brice Weinberg, and Amy L. McNulty. “Meniscus-Derived Matrix Scaffolds Promote the Integrative Repair of Meniscal Defects.” Sci Rep 9, no. 1 (June 18, 2019): 8719. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44855-3.Full Text Open Access Copy Link to Item
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DeFrate, L. E., S. Y. Kim-Wang, Z. A. Englander, and A. L. McNulty. “Osteoarthritis year in review 2018: mechanics.” Osteoarthritis Cartilage 27, no. 3 (March 2019): 392–400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2018.12.011.Full Text Link to Item
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Collins, Amber T., Courtney C. Hatcher, Sophia Y. Kim, Sophia N. Ziemian, Charles E. Spritzer, Farshid Guilak, Louis E. DeFrate, and Amy L. McNulty. “Selective Enzymatic Digestion of Proteoglycans and Collagens Alters Cartilage T1rho and T2 Relaxation Times.” Ann Biomed Eng 47, no. 1 (January 2019): 190–201. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-018-02143-7.Full Text Link to Item
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Furman, Bridgette D., Collin L. Kent, Janet L. Huebner, Virginia B. Kraus, Amy L. McNulty, Farshid Guilak, and Steven A. Olson. “CXCL10 is upregulated in synovium and cartilage following articular fracture.” J Orthop Res 36, no. 4 (April 2018): 1220–27. https://doi.org/10.1002/jor.23735.Full Text Open Access Copy Link to Item
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Cao, Chike, Yinshi Ren, Adam S. Barnett, Anthony J. Mirando, Douglas Rouse, Se Hwan Mun, Kyung-Hyun Park-Min, et al. “Increased Ca2+ signaling through CaV1.2 promotes bone formation and prevents estrogen deficiency-induced bone loss.” Jci Insight 2, no. 22 (November 16, 2017). https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.95512.Full Text Link to Item
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Liu, Betty, Nimit K. Lad, Amber T. Collins, Pramodh K. Ganapathy, Gangadhar M. Utturkar, Amy L. McNulty, Charles E. Spritzer, et al. “In Vivo Tibial Cartilage Strains in Regions of Cartilage-to-Cartilage Contact and Cartilage-to-Meniscus Contact in Response to Walking.” Am J Sports Med 45, no. 12 (October 2017): 2817–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/0363546517712506.Full Text Link to Item
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Hatcher, Courtney C., Amber T. Collins, Sophia Y. Kim, Lindsey C. Michel, William C. Mostertz, Sophia N. Ziemian, Charles E. Spritzer, Farshid Guilak, Louis E. DeFrate, and Amy L. McNulty. “Relationship between T1rho magnetic resonance imaging, synovial fluid biomarkers, and the biochemical and biomechanical properties of cartilage.” J Biomech 55 (April 11, 2017): 18–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2017.02.001.Full Text Link to Item
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Liu, Betty, Adam P. Goode, Teralyn E. Carter, Gangadhar M. Utturkar, Janet L. Huebner, Dean C. Taylor, Claude T. Moorman, et al. “Matrix metalloproteinase activity and prostaglandin E2 are elevated in the synovial fluid of meniscus tear patients.” Connect Tissue Res 58, no. 3–4 (2017): 305–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/03008207.2016.1256391.Full Text Link to Item
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Rai, Muhammad Farooq, and Amy L. McNulty. “Meniscus beyond mechanics: Using biology to advance our understanding of meniscus injury and treatment.” Connect Tissue Res 58, no. 3–4 (2017): 221–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/03008207.2017.1312921.Full Text Link to Item
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Cucchiarini, M., A. L. McNulty, R. L. Mauck, L. A. Setton, F. Guilak, and H. Madry. “Advances in combining gene therapy with cell and tissue engineering-based approaches to enhance healing of the meniscus.” Osteoarthritis Cartilage 24, no. 8 (August 2016): 1330–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2016.03.018.Full Text Link to Item
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O’Conor, Christopher J., Sendhilnathan Ramalingam, Nicole A. Zelenski, Halei C. Benefield, Isaura Rigo, Dianne Little, Chia-Lung Wu, et al. “Cartilage-Specific Knockout of the Mechanosensory Ion Channel TRPV4 Decreases Age-Related Osteoarthritis.” Sci Rep 6 (July 8, 2016): 29053. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep29053.Full Text Link to Item
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Lee, W., H. Leddy, A. McNulty, F. Guilak, and W. Liedtke. “Inflammatory Cytokine Il-1α Up-Regulates Piezo1 and Hyper-Sensitizes Chondrocytes to Compression.” Biophysical Journal 110, no. 3 (February 16, 2016): 349a-349a.
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Carter, Teralyn E., Kevin A. Taylor, Charles E. Spritzer, Gangadhar M. Utturkar, Dean C. Taylor, Claude T. Moorman, William E. Garrett, Farshid Guilak, Amy L. McNulty, and Louis E. DeFrate. “In vivo cartilage strain increases following medial meniscal tear and correlates with synovial fluid matrix metalloproteinase activity.” J Biomech 48, no. 8 (June 1, 2015): 1461–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2015.02.030.Full Text Open Access Copy Link to Item
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McNulty, Amy L., and Farshid Guilak. “Mechanobiology of the meniscus.” J Biomech 48, no. 8 (June 1, 2015): 1469–78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2015.02.008.Full Text Open Access Copy Link to Item
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McNulty, Amy L., Holly A. Leddy, Wolfgang Liedtke, and Farshid Guilak. “TRPV4 as a therapeutic target for joint diseases.” Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol 388, no. 4 (April 2015): 437–50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-014-1078-x.Full Text Link to Item
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Lee, Whasil, Holly A. Leddy, Yong Chen, Suk Hee Lee, Nicole A. Zelenski, Amy L. McNulty, Jason Wu, et al. “Synergy between Piezo1 and Piezo2 channels confers high-strain mechanosensitivity to articular cartilage.” Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 111, no. 47 (November 25, 2014): E5114–22. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1414298111.Full Text Open Access Copy Link to Item
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Sanchez-Adams, Johannah, Holly A. Leddy, Amy L. McNulty, Christopher J. O’Conor, and Farshid Guilak. “The mechanobiology of articular cartilage: bearing the burden of osteoarthritis.” Curr Rheumatol Rep 16, no. 10 (October 2014): 451. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-014-0451-6.Full Text Link to Item
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Leddy, Holly A., Amy L. McNulty, Suk Hee Lee, Nicole E. Rothfusz, Bernd Gloss, Margaret L. Kirby, Mary R. Hutson, Daniel H. Cohn, Farshid Guilak, and Wolfgang Liedtke. “Follistatin in chondrocytes: the link between TRPV4 channelopathies and skeletal malformations.” Faseb J 28, no. 6 (June 2014): 2525–37. https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.13-245936.Full Text Link to Item
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Leddy, Holly A., Amy L. McNulty, Farshid Guilak, and Wolfgang Liedtke. “Unraveling the mechanism by which TRPV4 mutations cause skeletal dysplasias.” Rare Dis 2, no. 1 (2014): e962971. https://doi.org/10.4161/2167549X.2014.962971.Full Text Link to Item
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Chen, Yong, Susan H. Williams, Amy L. McNulty, Ji Hee Hong, Suk Hee Lee, Nicole E. Rothfusz, Puja K. Parekh, et al. “Temporomandibular joint pain: a critical role for Trpv4 in the trigeminal ganglion.” Pain 154, no. 8 (August 2013): 1295–1304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pain.2013.04.004.Full Text Open Access Copy Link to Item
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McNulty, Amy L., Nicole E. Rothfusz, Holly A. Leddy, and Farshid Guilak. “Synovial fluid concentrations and relative potency of interleukin-1 alpha and beta in cartilage and meniscus degradation.” J Orthop Res 31, no. 7 (July 2013): 1039–45. https://doi.org/10.1002/jor.22334.Full Text Link to Item
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Backus, Jonathon D., Bridgette D. Furman, Troy Swimmer, Collin L. Kent, Amy L. McNulty, Louis E. Defrate, Farshid Guilak, and Steven A. Olson. “Cartilage viability and catabolism in the intact porcine knee following transarticular impact loading with and without articular fracture.” J Orthop Res 29, no. 4 (April 2011): 501–10. https://doi.org/10.1002/jor.21270.Full Text Link to Item
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McNulty, Amy L., Michael R. Miller, Shannon K. O’Connor, and Farshid Guilak. “The effects of adipokines on cartilage and meniscus catabolism.” Connect Tissue Res 52, no. 6 (2011): 523–33. https://doi.org/10.3109/03008207.2011.597902.Full Text Link to Item
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Riera, Katherine M., Nicole E. Rothfusz, Rebecca E. Wilusz, J. B. Weinberg, Farshid Guilak, and Amy L. McNulty. “Interleukin-1, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and transforming growth factor-beta 1 and integrative meniscal repair: influences on meniscal cell proliferation and migration.” Arthritis Res Ther 13, no. 6 (2011): R187. https://doi.org/10.1186/ar3515.Full Text Link to Item
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McNulty, A. L., B. T. Estes, R. E. Wilusz, J. B. Weinberg, and F. Guilak. “Dynamic loading enhances integrative meniscal repair in the presence of interleukin-1.” Osteoarthritis Cartilage 18, no. 6 (June 2010): 830–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2010.02.009.Full Text Link to Item
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McNulty, Amy L., J Brice Weinberg, and Farshid Guilak. “Inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases enhances in vitro repair of the meniscus.” Clin Orthop Relat Res 467, no. 6 (June 2009): 1557–67. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11999-008-0596-6.Full Text Link to Item
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Wilusz, Rebecca E., J Brice Weinberg, Farshid Guilak, and Amy L. McNulty. “Inhibition of integrative repair of the meniscus following acute exposure to interleukin-1 in vitro.” J Orthop Res 26, no. 4 (April 2008): 504–12. https://doi.org/10.1002/jor.20538.Full Text Link to Item
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McNulty, Amy L., and Farshid Guilak. “Integrative repair of the meniscus: lessons from in vitro studies.” Biorheology 45, no. 3–4 (2008): 487–500.Link to Item
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McNulty, Amy L., Franklin T. Moutos, J Brice Weinberg, and Farshid Guilak. “Enhanced integrative repair of the porcine meniscus in vitro by inhibition of interleukin-1 or tumor necrosis factor alpha.” Arthritis Rheum 56, no. 9 (September 2007): 3033–42. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.22839.Full Text Link to Item
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McNulty, A. L., F. T. Moutos, R. E. Wilusz, J. B. Weinberg, and F. Guilak. “The effects of pro-inflammatory cytokines on functional repair of the meniscus.” Mcb Molecular and Cellular Biomechanics 3, no. 4 (December 1, 2006): 197–98.
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McNulty, Amy L., Thomas V. Stabler, Thomas P. Vail, Gary E. McDaniel, and Virginia B. Kraus. “Dehydroascorbate transport in human chondrocytes is regulated by hypoxia and is a physiologically relevant source of ascorbic acid in the joint.” Arthritis Rheum 52, no. 9 (September 2005): 2676–85. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.21254.Full Text Link to Item
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McNulty, Amy L., Thomas P. Vail, and Virginia B. Kraus. “Chondrocyte transport and concentration of ascorbic acid is mediated by SVCT2.” Biochim Biophys Acta 1712, no. 2 (June 30, 2005): 212–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbamem.2005.04.009.Full Text Link to Item
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Clark, Amy G., Amy L. Rohrbaugh, Ivan Otterness, and Virginia B. Kraus. “The effects of ascorbic acid on cartilage metabolism in guinea pig articular cartilage explants.” Matrix Biol 21, no. 2 (March 2002): 175–84. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0945-053x(01)00193-7.Full Text Link to Item
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Michael, N. L., L. G. Louie, A. L. Rohrbaugh, K. A. Schultz, D. E. Dayhoff, C. E. Wang, and H. W. Sheppard. “The role of CCR5 and CCR2 polymorphisms in HIV-1 transmission and disease progression.” Nat Med 3, no. 10 (October 1997): 1160–62. https://doi.org/10.1038/nm1097-1160.Full Text Link to Item
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DeFrate, L. E. “IN VIVO STRAIN INCREASES FOLLOWING MEDIAL MENISCAL TEAR AND CORRELATES WITH SYNOVIAL FLUID MATRIX METALLOPROTEINASE ACTIVITY.” Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, n.d.Link to Item
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Conference Papers
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Irwin, R. M., I. Puranam, B. D. Hoffman, and A. L. McNulty. “DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSE OF INNER AND OUTER ZONE MENISCAL CELLS TO TENSILE LOAD UNDER NON-INFLAMMATORY AND INFLAMMATORY CONDITIONS.” In Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 29:S3–4, 2021.Link to Item
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Cao, Chike, Yinshi Ren, Anthony J. Mirando, Adam Barnett, Douglas Rouse, Se Hwan Mun, Kyung-Hyun Park-Min, et al. “Increased Ca2+signaling through altered CaV1.2 L-type Ca2+channel activity promotes bone formation and prevents estrogen deficiency-induced bone loss.” In Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, 32:S31–S31. WILEY, 2017.Link to Item
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- Teaching & Mentoring
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Recent Courses
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