At 8:30 a.m., 125 or so researchers crowded into the CSU Spur. Some were toting their posters. Some were clutching their coffee and laptops. They settled in to learn about the links between plastic exposure and chronic disease risk; they heard about a novel cancer treatment tested in both golden retrievers and humans; and they listened to researchers discuss advances in cartilage regeneration. What connected these wide-ranging topics? It was the CCTSI’s CU-CSU Summit conference on chronic disease research.
“I was extremely excited and eager to present my poster at the Summit—as well as to listen and learn about so many exciting topics!” said Em Perkins, research scientist and coordinator at Colorado State University. “They [the presentations] all felt interconnected yet different enough to really broaden my understanding of the current research surrounding chronic diseases, their origins, and their treatments.”
CCTSI Director Ron Sokol, MD, started the day with his explanation of why the CCTSI chose chronic disease as the topic of the conference. He presented some startling data about the prevalence of chronic diseases in our nation as compared to others around the world. He also emphasized the goal of the conference, which is to promote new collaborations and communications across all CCTSI partner institutions (University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Denver, Colorado State University, and partnering hospitals), as well as across different research areas.
Speakers shed light on some of the causes of various chronic diseases. Tanya Alderete, PhD, associate professor in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, explained that exposure to microplastics can be linked to chronic diseases such as coronary artery disease and type 2 diabetes, while Tracy Webb, DVM, PhD, FNAP, of CSU highlighted how studies in companion animals, or pets, who share the same environment as their owners and also develop analogous diseases spontaneously, can help develop novel targets and treatments for human chronic diseases.
In addition to featuring scientists who are experts in their fields, the agenda included five-minute lightning talks given by early-career investigators who were past awardees of CCTSI Pilot Grants. There were also two sessions for poster presentations and ample time for networking.
“I was excited about it! Any practice talking through my thesis project is valuable time, especially when I get the opportunity to talk science with like-minded individuals who have productive feedback to offer,” said Ally Tripure, graduate teaching assistant at CSU.
At the end of the day, Stephanie Bryant, PhD, from CU Boulder, and Karin Payne, PhD, from CU Anschutz presented their groundbreaking work in cartilage regeneration and its potential for treating arthritic joints.
Bryant, professor and director of materials science and engineering at CU Boulder, said, “What I want you to take home is the power of materials we can design.” She explained the work she has led, in collaboration with many researchers, to develop and test injectable hydrogel material that facilitates cartilage regeneration, as well as her work to develop 3D-printed bone architecture.
“The goal is to combine biomimetic hydrogels with complex architectures made from digital light processing,” Bryant said.
Both Bryant and Payne are part of an initiative called NITRO, which is funded by the Advanced Research Project Agency for Health (ARPA-H), that brings together experts from CU Boulder, CU Anschutz, and CSU with the goal to develop revolutionary joint-healing solutions. Payne is an associate professor of Orthopedics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. She wrapped up the day with her talk on regenerative medicine approaches for treating growth plate injuries in children.
“The goal is to restore normal bone elongation for children who have growth plate injuries,” Payne said. She highlighted the multiple, novel research projects underway across the state. She noted that 3D-printed biomimetic composite postpones the onset of skeletal deformities in children. The technology she and her lab are testing could also be used to treat osteoarthritis.
Sokol noted that Bryant and Payne’s work is a great example of the cross-disciplinary collaboration on all three campuses, which the Summit seeks to foster. “That was a demonstration to everybody that reaching outside of your comfort zone to collaborate, to tackle some of the biggest health issues that we face, can yield enormous benefits,” Sokol said.