About
Research
Our long-term goal is to develop novel therapeutic strategies and methods to improve bone repair and regeneration for patients who suffer from fracture, trauma, arthritis, genetic or cancer-related bone defects. We focus on investigating molecular and cellular mechanisms that govern osteogenic differentiation and bone formation. Our major interested areas are:
- Elucidation of molecular signaling that directs the commitment of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into an osteogenic pathway. Ongoing investigations include the crosstalk between bone morphogenic protein 2 (BMP2) and stromal derived factor-1 (SDF-1) signaling pathways for promoting the differentiation of MSCs into bone-producing osteoblasts.
- Identification and characterization of signaling pathways that control the bone development and growth. Ongoing investigations include the use of rigorous genetic approaches and transgenic mouse models to delineate the role of SDF-1/CXCR4 pathway in bone formation.
Credentials
Appointments
Assistant Scientist, Musculoskeletal Integrity Program, Hospital for Special Surgery
Assistant Professor, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Weill Cornell Medical College
Languages
English
Publications by
Selected Publications
Naobumi Hosogane, Zhiping Huang, Bernard A Rawlins, Xia Liu, Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, Adele L. Boskey, Wei Zhu. Stromal derived factor-1 regulates bone morphogenic protein 2- induced osteogenic differentiation of primary mesenchymal stem cells. The International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology 2010. March 31. In press.
Wei Zhu, Bernard A Rawlins, Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, Baruch Frenkel, Adele L. Boskey, Lionel B. Ivashkiv, Carl P. Blobel. A novel regulatory role of SDF-1 signaling in BMP2-induced osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal C2C12 cells. The Journal of Biological Chemistry 2007. 282(26):18676-85.
Wei Zhu, Jaehon Kim, Bernard A Rawlins, Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, Ronald G Crystal, Chisa Hidaka. Noggin regulation of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) 2/7 heterodimer activity in vitro. Bone. 2006. 39(1): 61-71.
Hidaka C, Cunningham ME, Rodeo SA, Maher SA, Zhu W. Modern biologics used in orthopaedic surgery. Current Opinion on Rheumatology. 2006. 18(1):74-9.
Wei Zhu, Bernard A Rawlins, Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, Elizabeth Myers, Jun Arimizu, Eugene Choi, Jay R Lieberman, Ronald G Crystal, Chisa Hidaka. Combination bone morphogenetic protein-2 and –7 gene therapy enhances osteoblastic differentiation and spine fusion. The Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 2004.19(12):2021-32.
Wei Zhu, George AC Murrell, Jiahao Lin, Edith M Gardiner, Ashish D Diwan. Localization of nitric oxide synthases during fracture healing. The Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 2002.17(8): 1470-1477.
Wei Zhu, Ashish D Diwan, Jiahao Lin, George AC Murrell. Nitric oxide synthase isoforms during fracture healing. The Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 2001.16 (3): 535-540.
Ashish D Diwan, Min X Wang, Daniel Jang, Wei Zhu, George AC Murrell. Nitric oxide modulates fracture healing. The Journal of Bone and Mineral Research 2000.15(2): 342-351.
For more publications, please see the PubMed listing.
Industry Relationships
Industry Relationships
One of the goals of HSS is to advance the science of orthopedic surgery, rheumatology, and related disciplines for the benefit of patients. Research staff at HSS may collaborate with outside companies for education, research and medical advances. HSS supports this collaboration in order to foster medical breakthroughs; however, HSS also believes that these collaborations must be disclosed.
As part of the disclosure process, this website lists Research staff collaborations with outside companies if the Research staff member received any payment during the prior year or expects to receive any payment in the next year. The disclosures are based on information provided by the Research staff and other sources and are updated regularly. Current ownership interests and leadership positions are also listed. Further information may be available on individual company websites.
As of March 08, 2013, Dr. Zhu reported no relationships with healthcare industry.
By disclosing the collaborations of HSS Research staff with industry on this website, HSS and its Research staff make this information available to patients and the public, thus creating a transparent environment for those who are interested in this information. Further, the HSS Conflicts of Interest Policy does not permit payment of royalties on products developed by him/her that are used on patients at HSS.