Friday, March 20, 2026 3/20/2026

Piezo1 and Piezo2-dependent cartilage health and disease

Award Number: R01AR082349
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ARTHRITIS & MUSCULOSKELETAL & SKIN DISEASES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2023
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2028

Group Awards By:

View Award Description

Piezo1 and Piezo2-dependent cartilage health and disease - ABSTRACT Articular cartilage in load-bearing joints is a resilient tissue, yet 32 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis (OA), characterized by the progressive degeneration of cartilage. Disease-modifying therapies to prevent carti- lage degeneration are unavailable and urgently needed. Mechanical factors heavily influence chondrocyte met- abolic activities and play a critical role in cartilage homeostasis and degeneration. Chondrocytes are the unique post-mitotic cells expressing both Piezo1 and Piezo2 mechanosensitive channels robustly. Since the discovery of Piezo1 and Piezo2 in 2010, it has been identified that Piezo1 and Piezo2 exhibit distinct gating properties, expression patterns, and mechanotransduction signaling mechanisms in human physiology and pathology. We and others reported that Piezo1 and Piezo2 in chondrocytes sense injurious loading, and pre- treatment with GsMTx4, a pan Piezo1/Piezo2 blocking peptide, significantly reduced the injury-induced chon- drocyte death in vitro. Ironically, our preliminary data reveal the augmented Piezo1 in arthritic conditions and the up-regulated Piezo2 by exercise. Also, our preliminary data show that chondrocytes in injured knees are more susceptible to mechanical injury, but exercised cartilage are less vulnerable to mechanical injury than controls. Thus, our central hypothesis is differential roles of Piezo1 and Piezo2 in chondrocyte mechanosensi- tivity and cartilage homeostasis. A significant knowledge gap exists in understanding Piezo1- and Piezo2-me- diated mechanotransduction mechanisms of chondrocytes in the context of joint health and disease. In this program, we will take advantage of mouse models to delineate the role of Piezo1 and Piezo2 in chondrocyte mechanotransduction, metabolism, and cartilage homeostasis. Our custom-built platforms, a mechano-micro- scope and impact loading devices, will be employed to quantify cellular mechanosensitivity in a culture system or in situ. A successful outcome will provide insights into OA pathology and therapeutic strategies targeting Pi- ezo1- and Piezo2-mediated mechanotransduction for cartilage degeneration and regeneration.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $304,920 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER	910 GENESEE ST	ROCHESTER	NY	14611	MONROE	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	000	4	2/24/2026	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$304,920
														Subtotal = $304,920

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $328,636 )
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER	910 GENESEE ST	ROCHESTER	NY	14611	MONROE	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	001	3	5/7/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$23,716
2025	2025	UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER	910 GENESEE ST	ROCHESTER	NY	14611	MONROE	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	000	3	3/21/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$304,920
														Subtotal = $328,636

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $328,636 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER	910 GENESEE ST	ROCHESTER	NY	14611	MONROE	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	001	2	6/10/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$23,716
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER	910 GENESEE ST	ROCHESTER	NY	14611	MONROE	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	000	2	3/6/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$304,920
														Subtotal = $328,636

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $338,800 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER	910 GENESEE ST	ROCHESTER	NY	14611	MONROE	USA	Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research	000	1	3/23/2023	NEW	$338,800
														Subtotal = $338,800

Grand Total All Awards = $1,300,992

Top

All Categories

About

Search

Reports

Data Submission

Award Information

Piezo1 and Piezo2-dependent cartilage health and disease

Award Number: R01AR082349

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ARTHRITIS & MUSCULOSKELETAL & SKIN DISEASES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 04/01/2023

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 03/31/2028

Federal Websites

Department of Health & Human Services

HHS Operating Divisions

HHS Staff Divisions

Download A Document Viewer