Brianne Connizzo, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor (BME)

Office ERB 622
Email connizzo@bu.edu
Phone 617-353-2805
Website The Connizzo Lab

Areas of Interest

aging, orthopaedic and soft tissues, mechanobiology, multiscale biomechanics, extracellular matrix assembly and remodeling

Research Areas

The Connizzo Lab seeks to understand the regulation of tissue structure-function relationships through cell-controlled extracellular matrix remodeling influenced by development, injury, aging, and disease. Specifically, we are interested in how the multi-scale collagen structure of tendons and ligaments is able to transmit dynamic load from the whole tissue to individual cell level and how this process changes throughout lifespan and in the case of degenerative tissue disorders. By using in vitro organ culture and explant models, traditional and genetically modified mouse models and sensitive structural measurements, we explore the ability of cells to sense and respond to macroscopic tissue loading and investigate the fine line between adaptive and degenerative extracellular matrix remodeling. We also use a variety of mechanical testing devices, both commercially available and custom-designed, to probe tissue function at multiple scales to understand the inhomogeneity and non-linearity of dynamic hierarchical structure-function relationships.

Publications

View a complete list of publications by citation.

Department or Division: Biomedical Engineering

Affiliations: Primary & Affiliated Faculty, Synthetic Biology, Tissue Engineering & Mechanobiology

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