Danièle Noël Morin

A therapeutic approach for inhibiting the aging process of cartilage

Dr. Daniele Noel Morin currently one of the most promising treatments of osteoarthritis is based on tissue engineering of cartilage using chondrocytes or stem cells to repair cartilage damage. However, elderly patients or who suffer from osteoarthritis, the chondrocytes show alterations which could explain their reduced capacity to repair cartilage compared to young cells. This project aims to study the mechanisms that maintain the functional chondrocytes. The team led by Daniele Noel likes microRNAs, small nucleic acid molecules capable of controlling various cellular functions. The project objective is to determine if these microRNAs play a role in aging chondrocytes and it is possible to act on these molecules to interfere with the aging process.