• Research Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
• Assistant Director, Simpson Querrey Institute

 PhD (2007), UCLA

The research team led by molecular toxicologist Erin Hsu and orthopaedic surgeon Wellington Hsu focuses on developing novel biomaterials for bone regeneration. The approaches and technologies they utilize include stem cell-based therapies, nanotechnology-based synthetic matrices, and osteoinductive 3D-printable natural and synthetic materials.

With a particular interest in spine, an overarching goal of the Hsu laboratory is to develop translatable technologies for bone regeneration and spine fusion that are more effective and safer than current clinically available products. In collaboration with the Stupp group, they employ bioactive self-assembling peptide amphiphile nanofiber matrices to deliver ultra-low dose growth factor or enhance the efficacy of low-volume autograft bone in pre-clinical spine fusion models. They also explore the utility of these nanofiber matrices in the delivery of bone marrow aspirate and mesenchymal stem cells for improved bone healing. With collaborators at Dimension Inx, the Hsu lab is developing 3D-printed hyperelastic composite scaffolds for bone regeneration that are composed of allograft bone (demineralized bone matrix) and synthetic hydroxyapatite particles. 

The Hsu lab also explores the inhibitory mechanisms of action of environmental chemicals (e.g. cigarette smoke and other toxins) on bone. These studies leverage novel mechanistic discoveries to develop better therapeutic approaches to mitigate such effects, including the development and validation of multi-functional materials to simultaneously promote bone formation and protect against chemical insult at the site of bone healing.