Xu Cao, PhD
Highlights
Languages
- English
Gender
MaleJohns Hopkins Affiliations:
- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine Faculty
About Xu Cao
Professional Titles
- Lee Riley Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
- Director, Center for Musculoskeletal Research
Primary Academic Title
Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Background
Dr. Xu Cao is a professor of orthopaedic surgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. His research focuses on the role of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in bone remodeling, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.
Dr. Cao is the Lee Riley Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and serves as the director of the Center for Musculoskeletal Research at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
In researching osteoarthritis, his lab discovered that the bone underneath the cartilage plays a key role in the disease, and that blocking the action of a bone protein in mice halts its progression.
His team is currently researching the mechanism of coupling bone resorption and formation, MSCs in subchondral bone remodeling and osteoarthritis and the role of Smad1 in osteoblast differentiation of MSCs.
Dr. Cao earned his Ph.D. in chemistry and biochemistry from the University of South Carolina. He completed postdoctoral training in bone biology at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Cao joined the Johns Hopkins faculty in 2009.
Centers and Institutes
- Cell Engineering, Institute for
- Musculoskeletal Clinic at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Research Interests
Bone remodeling, Mesenchymal stem cells, Osteoarthritis, Osteoporosis
Research Summary
Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have the potential to differentiate to lineages of mesenchymal tissues, including osteoblasts, adipocytes, chondrocytes, fibroblasts and myoblasts. Dr. Cao studies the microenvironment that is necessary for differentiation of the multipotential stem cells into functionally distinct cell types such as osteoblasts. Parathyroid hormone and TGFß1 are the important factors that regulate the fate of mesenchymal stem cells. The primary goal of Dr. Cao’s research is to study the role of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in bone remodeling, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.
Selected Publications
Bianco P, Cao X, Frenette PS, Mao JJ, Robey PG, Simmons PJ, Wang CY. “The meaning, the sense and the significance: translating the science of mesenchymal stem cells into medicine.” Nat Med. 2013 Jan;19(1):35-42. doi: 10.1038/nm.3028. Epub 2013 Jan 7.
Wan M, Li C, Zhen G, Jiao K, He H, Jia X, Wang W, Shi C, Xing X, Chen Y, Jan De Beur S, Yu B, Cao X. “Injury-activated TGFB controls mobilization of MSCs for tissue remodeling.” Stem Cell. 2012;30(11):2498-511. doi: 10.1002.
Xian L, Lou M, Wu X, Yu B, Frassica F, Wan M, Pang L, Wen C, Tryggestad E, Wong J, Cao X. “Pretreatment with antioxidants prevent bone injury by improving bone marrow microenvironment for stem cells.” Stem Cell Discovery. 2012;2:100-107. doi: 10.4236/scd.2012.23015.
Xian L, Wu X, Pang L, Lou M, Rosen C, Qiu T, Crane J, Frassica F, Zhang L, Rodriguez JP, Jia X, Yakar S, Xuan S, Efstratiadis A, Wan M, Cao X. “Matrix IGF-1 regulates bone mass by activation of mTOR in mesenchymal stem cells.” Nat Med. 2012;18(7):1095-101.
Yu B, Zhao X, Yang C, Xian L, Lu W, Wan M, Cao X. “PTH induces differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells by activation of BMP signaling.” JBMR. 2012;27(9):2001-14. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.1663.
Additional Training
Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 1996, Bone Biology