Xu Cao

Xu Cao is a Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where he also serves as the Lee Riley Professor and Director of the Center for Musculoskeletal Research. His work focuses on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in bone remodeling, osteoarthritis, and osteoporosis, with key discoveries in subchondral bone protein mechanisms in osteoarthritis progression.

• Education: Ph.D. in Chemistry and Biochemistry from the University of South Carolina (1988), B.S. from Xinjiang University (1978), and postdoctoral training in bone biology at Washington University (1996).

His research investigates how MSC differentiation into osteoblasts is regulated by parathyroid hormone and TGFß1, aiming to translate these findings into therapeutic strategies for musculoskeletal disorders. He joined Johns Hopkins in 2009 after extensive contributions to stem cell biology.

Publications span both clinical and computational domains, including bone remodeling mechanisms and chemomechanical models of cell-extracellular matrix interactions. His work highlights interdisciplinary approaches, bridging musculoskeletal biology with biomechanical and materials science.