Farshid Guilak

Farshid Guilak is the Mildred B Simon Research Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. His interdisciplinary research program investigates osteoarthritis mechanisms, focusing on obesity-related inflammation, cartilage mechanobiology, and stem cell-based regenerative therapies.

Research Focus:

• Obesity-inflammation-osteoarthritis axis
• Mechanosensitive ion channels in cartilage
• Stem cell engineering for joint regeneration
• Digital immunoassays for biomarker detection

Key Discoveries: Identified Piezo1 mechanotransduction pathways in osteoarthritis pathogenesis and adipose tissue's regulatory role in joint degeneration.

Clinical Translation: Develops 'smart' engineered tissues with synthetic gene circuits for autonomous disease-responsive therapy.