Selected Publications

Browse our articles, and reach out if you’d like to discuss!

Publications

  1. Zhang C, Gordon MD, Joseph KM, Diaz‐Hernandez ME, Drissi H, Illien‐Jünger S: Differential efficacy of two small molecule PHLPP inhibitors to promote nucleus Pulposus cell health. JOR Spine. 2024 Mar; 7(1): e1306. Published online 2023 Dec 4. doi: 10.1002/jsp2.1306. PMCID: PMC10782076

  2. Arul MR, Zhang C, Alahmadi I, Moss IL, Banasavadi-Siddegowda YK, Abdulmalik S, Illien-Jünger S, Kumbar SG. Novel Injectable Fluorescent Polymeric Nanocarriers for Intervertebral Disc Application. J Funct Biomater. 2023 Jan 17;14(2). PMID: 36826851

  3. Basatvat S, Bach FC, Barcellona MN, Binch AL, Buckley CT, Bueno B, Chahine NO, Chee A, Creemers LB, Dudli S, Fearing B, Ferguson SJ, Gansau J, Gantenbein B, Gawri R, Glaeser JD, Grad S, Guerrero J, Haglund L, Hernandez PA, Hoyland JA, Huang C, Iatridis JC, Illien-Jünger S, Jing L, Kraus P, Laagland LT, Lang G, Leung V, Li Z, Lufkin T, van Maanen JC, McDonnell EE, Panebianco CJ, Presciutti SM, Rao S, Richardson SM, Romereim S, Schmitz T C, Schol J, Setton L, Sheyn D, Snuggs JW, Sun Y, Tan X, Tryfonidou MA, Vo N, Wang D, Williams B, Williams R, Yoon ST, Le Maitre CL: Harmonization and Standardization of Nucleus Pulposus Cell Extraction and Culture Methods; JORspine.2023;e1238. PMID: 36994456

  4. Zhang C, Joseph KM, Khan NM, Diaz-Hernandez ME, Drissi H, Illien-Jünger S. PHLPP1 deficiency protects against age-related intervertebral disc degeneration. JOR Spine 2022 Sept. DOI: PMID: 36601379

  5. Zehra U, Tryfonidou M, Iatridis JC, Illien-Jünger S, Mwale F, Samartzis D. Mechanisms and clinical implications of intervertebral disc calcification. Rev Rheumatol. 2022 Jun;18(6):352-362. PMID: 35534553

  6. D'Erminio DN, Krishnamoorthy D, Lai A, Hoy RC, Natelson DM, Poeran J, Torres A, Laudier DM, Nasser P, Vashishth D, Illien-Jünger S, Iatridis JC. High fat diet causes inferior vertebral structure and function without disc degeneration in RAGE-KO mice. Orthop Res. 2021 Oct 21;. doi: 10.1002/jor.25191. PMID: 34676612

  7. Le Maitre CL1, Dahia CL, Giers M, Illien-Jünger S, Cicione C, Samartzis D, Vadala G, Fields A, Lotz JC: Development of a Standardized Histopathology Scoring System for Human Intervertebral Disc Degeneration - An ORS Spine Section Initiative; JOR Spine. 2021 July 19;4(2). PMID: 34337340

  8. Croft AS, Illien-Jünger S, Grad S, Guerrero J, Wangler S, Gantenbein B*: The Application of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells and their Homing Capabilities to Regenerate the Intervertebral Disc; Int. J. Mol. Sci, 2021; 22(7):3519 PMID: 33805356

  9. Hoy RC, D’Erminio D, Krishnamoorthy D, Natelson DM, Laudier DM, Illien-Jünger S, Iatridis JC*: Advanced glycation end-products cause RAGE dependent annulus fibrosus collagen disruption and loss identified using in situ second harmonic generation imaging in mice intervertebral disc in vivo and in organ culture models; JOR Spine; 2020 Dez 3(4): e1126 PMID: 33392460

  10. Natelson DM, Lai A, Krishnamoorthy D, Hoy RC, Iatridis JC, Illien-Jünger S*: Leptin Signaling and the Intervertebral Disc: Sex Dependent Effects of Leptin Receptor Deficiency and Western Diet on the Spine in a Type 2 Diabetes Mouse Model; PLoS One. 2020 May 6;15(5):e0227527 PMID: 32374776

  11. DiStefano TJ, Illien-Jünger S, Iatridis JC*: Homeostasis disrupted by strain mechanosensing; Nat Biomed Eng; 2019 Dec;3(12):951-952 PMID: 31811265

  12. Zhang C, Smith MP°, Zhou GK°,Lai A, Hoy RC, Mroz V, Torre OM, Laudier DM, Bradley EW, Westendorf JJ, Iatridis JC, Illien-Jünger S*: Phlpp1 is associated with human intervertebral disc degeneration and its deficiency promotes healing after needle puncture injury in mice; Cell Death Dis. 2019 Oct 3;10(10):754 PMID: 31582730

  13. Krishnamoorthy D, Hoy RC, Natelson DM, Torre OM, Laudier DM, Iatridis JC, Illien-Jünger S*: Dietary Advanced Glycation End-Product Consumption Leads to Mechanical Stiffening of Murine Intervertebral Discs. Dis Model Mech. 2018 Nov 29. PMID: 30498097

  14. Illien-Jünger S*, Palacio-Mancheno P, Kindschuh WF, Chen X, Sroga GE, Vashishth D, Iatridis JC: Dietary Advanced Glycation End Products have Sex-and Age Dependent Effects on Vertebral Bone Microstructure and Mechanical Function in Mice, J Bone Miner Res. 2018 Mar;33(3):437-448 PMID: 29160901

  15. Cruz MA, Hom WW, Merrill R, Torre OM, Lin HA, Hecht AC, Illien-Jünger S, Iatridis JC*: Cell-Seeded Adhesive Biomaterial for Repair of Annulus Fibrosus Defects in Intervertebral Discs. Tissue Eng, Part A; 2018 Feb;24(3-4):187-198 PMID: 29214889

  16. Cruz MA, McAnany S, Gupta N, Long RG, Nasser P, Eglin D, Hecht AC, Illien-Jünger S, Iatridis JC*: Structural and Chemical Modification to Improve Adhesive and Material Properties of Fibrin-Genipin for Repair of Annulus Fibrosus Defects in Intervertebral Discs. J Biomechanical Eng, 2017 Aug 1;139(8) PMID: 28464119

  17. Illien-Jünger S*, Torre OM, Kindschuh WF, Chen X, Iatridis JC: Advanced glycation endproducts induce ectopic endochondral ossification in intervertebral discs; Eur Cell Mater. 2016 Nov 18;32:257-270. PMID: 27858401

  18. Long, RG, Rotmann SG, Hom WW, Assael DJ, Illien-Jünger S, Grijpma DW, Iatridis JC*: In vitro and biomechanical screening of polyethylene glycol and poly(trimethylene carbonate) block copolymers for annulus fibrosus repair; J Tissue Eng Regen Med 2016 PMID: 27860368

  19. Illien-Jünger S*, Sedaghatpour DD, Laudier DM, Hecht AC, Qureshi S, Iatridis JC: Development of a Novel Decellularized ECM-biomaterial for Nucleus Pulposus Replacement; J Orthop Res. 2016 May;34(5):876-88 PMID: 26509556

  20. Gantenbein B, Illien-Jünger S, Chan SCW, Walser J, Haglund L, Ferguson SJ, Iatridis JC, Grad S*: Organ Culture Bioreactors – Platforms to Study Human Intervertebral Disc Degeneration and Regenerative Therapy; Curr Stem Cell Res Ther. 2015;10(4):339-52. PMID: 25764196

  21. Walter BA, Likhitpanichkul M, Illien-Jünger S, Roughley PJ, Hecht AC, Iatridis JC*: TNFα Transport Induced by Dynamic Loading Alters Biomechanics of Intact Intervertebral Discs; PLoS One. 2015 Mar 3;10(3):e0118358. PMID: 25734788

  22. Illien-Jünger S°, Lu Y°, Qureshi SA, Hecht, AC Cai W, Vlassara H, Striker GE, Iatridis JC*: Chronic Ingestion of Advanced Glycation End Products Induces Degenerative Spinal Changes and Hypertrophy in Aging Pre-Diabetic Mice; PLoS One. 2015 Feb 10;10(2):e0116625. PMID: 25668621

  23. Likhitpanichkul M, Dreischarf M, Illien-Jünger S, Walter BA, Nukaga  T, Long RG: Sakai D, Hecht  AC, Iatridis JC*: Fibrin-Genipin Adhesive Hydrogel for Annulus Fibrosus Repair: Performance Evaluation with Large Animal Organ Culture, In Situ Biomechanics, and In Vivo Degradation Tests, Eur Cell Mater. 2014 Jul 18;28:25-38. PMID: 25036053

  24. Illien-Jünger S, Lu Y, Mayer JE, Purmessur D, Walter BA, Roughley PJ, Qureshi SA, Hecht AC, Iatridis JC*: Detrimental Effects of Discectomy on Intervertebral Disc Biology can be Decelerated by Growth Factor Treatment during Surgery – A large animal organ culture model; Spine J. 2014 Apr 22. pii: S1529-9430(14)00404-5.  PMID: 24768749

  25. Walter BA, Illien-Jünger S, Nasser PR, Hecht AC, Iatridis JC*: Development and validation of a bioreactor system for dynamic loading and mechanical characterization of whole human intervertebral discs in organ culture. J Biomech. 2014 Mar 27. pii: S0021-9290(14)00182-1. PMID: 24725441

  26. Illien-Jünger S, Grosjean F, Laudier DM, Vlassara H, Striker GE, Iatridis JC*: Combined Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-AGE Drug Treatments have a Protective Effect on Intervertebral Discs in Mice with Diabetes. PLoS One 2013 8: e64302. PMID: 23691192

  27. Illien-Jünger S°, Pattappa G°, Peroglio M, Benneker LM, Stoddart MJ, Sakai D, Mochida J, Grad S, Alini M*: Homing of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Induced Degenerative Intervertebral Discs in a Whole Organ Culture System. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2012 Oct 15;37(22):1865-73. PMID: 22433498

  28. Peroglio M, Grad S, Mortisen D, Sprecher CM Illien-Jünger S, Alini M, Eglin D*: Injectable thermoreversible hyaluronan-based hydrogels for nucleus pulposus cell encapsulation. Eur Spine J 2012; 21 (Suppl 6):S839–S849. PMID: 21874295

  29. Illien-Jünger S, Gantenbein-Ritter Grad S, Lezuo P; Ferguson SJ; Alini M Ito K*. The combined Effects of Limited Nutrition and High Frequency Loading on Intervertebral Discs with Endplates. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2010 Sep 1;35(19):1744-52. PMID: 20395884

  30. Jünger S, Gantenbein B, Alini M, Ferguson SJ, Ito K*: Effect of limited nutrition on in situ intervertebral disc cells under "physiological" loading. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2009;34:1264-71. PMID: 19455001

Book Chapters

  1. Illien-Jünger S, Walter BA, Mayer JE, Hecht AC, Iatridis JC: Intervertebral disc organ culture models and their applications to study pathogenesis, and repair, in: The Intervertebral Disc: Molecular and Structural Studies of the Disc in Health and Disease, Eds. IM Shapiro and M Risbud M, New York, Springer, 2013. Chapter 22

  2. Gantenbein-Ritter B, Sprecher CM, Chan S, Illien-Jünger S, Grad S, Confocal imaging protocols for live/dead staining in three-dimensional carriers. Methods Mol Biol. 2011;740:127-40 PMID: 21468974