Cellular Biology & Regenerative Medicine Program

• Osseointegration (OI) is a surgical approach that permits the direct attachment of an external prosthesis to the skeleton in some select patients with limb amputation.  Both real and potential infection concerns have important implications for implant longevity, residual limb health and function, and, in particular, the feasibility of OI implants in austere (e.g., deployed) environments. The Davis Laboratory approach centers on improving skin adhesion and healing to the OI implant abutment as it exits the skin and improving the durability of this seal for long-term viability via infection, biofilm, and microbiome control. The Davis Laboratory is isolating, culturing and developing cells that function physiologically to adhere soft tissues to hard tissues which will provide superior in vitro and in vivo attachment to metal implant substrates and superior resistance to infection compared to normal epithelial cells.

• The Regenerative Medicine Team is working on developing translatable solutions and testing preventable strategies for early management of combat-related and blast trauma-induced injury to minimize morbidity and improve recovery in prolonged field care settings. One such complication is the high incidence (>70% of patients) of aberrant mature bone development within soft tissue and joints post extremity injury. The cornerstone of the research focuses on evaluating the cellular, proteomic and genomic impact of blast exposure, tourniquet application, burn injury, hemorrhage and limb amputation on musculoskeletal tissue healing/regeneration and major end organ function using an animal models that replicates the complexity of blast associated lower extremity orthopaedic injuries and ischemia reperfusion injury which are challenging in a prolonged field care scenario.

• Fragility fractures are detrimental to military readiness.  The rate at which these types of fractures occur has risen dramatically in recent years.  This alarming rise will impact the majority of the senior military population however new data suggests that in females, bone can begin to deteriorate as early as age 30.   Prompt identification of risk factors is thereby necessary to foster earlier prevention strategies, maximizing readiness, and improve the long-term bone health for our female military beneficiaries. The Davis Laboratory is examining the levels and changes in bone turnover markers throughout a woman’s adult life to identify how soon an increase in bone turnover markers can be appreciated in women who develop osteoporosis. We have the unique ability within the Military Health System to perform the first longitudinal analysis of serum markers of women throughout their adult lives, by leveraging the power of modern multi-analyte proteomic profiling immunoassays using samples obtained from the Department of Defense Serum Repository (DoDSR). 

• The Regenerative Medicine Team and collaborative partners are working to identify strategies to improve outcomes associated with TBI and hemorrhagic shock (HS) by identifying biomarkers - including neuroimaging, clinical and physiological measurements, blood hematology and chemistries, local and systemic inflammation, and as well as anatomical, cellular and molecular analysis of injured/damaged brain tissue serum analyses – that are predictive of an individual’s response to injury and to environmental stressors (simulated aeromedical transport) with the goal of optimizing individual treatment strategies. In particular, there is an intense interest following acute traumatic brain injury (ferret model with controlled cortical impact (CCI) and fluid percussion injury models) in elucidating the critical interactions and linkage between activated circulating leukocytes, infiltrating innate immune cells, inflammation and neurological impairments and pathology of disease (damage and repair). Following TBI mediated ischemia-reperfusion injury, activated peripheral blood leukocyte infiltration (neutrophils and macrophages) pass the blood brain barrier and initiate innate cell immunological reactions.