Publications
Selected Topics
Oxygen during fracture repair
If you’re interested in learning how we demonstrate that the early fracture gap exhibits high oxygen tension and identify erythroid progenitor cells that modulate oxygen levels — check out our most recent preprint print here.
CYR61 to induce angiogenesis
Here we show that recombinant Cyr61 delivery accelerates neovascularization without altering bone or cartilage formation, suggesting therapeutic potential for fractures with limited blood vessel supply and stable fixation.
DFO to regenerate bone
Our findings provide supporting evidence for a preventive strategy towards bone healing disorders in patients with a higher risk by fostering fracture healing
using deferoxamine (DFO)
to stabilize HIF-1α.
SMAD1/5 in bone development
We report that endothelial SMAD1/5 activity sustains skeletal vascular morphogenesis and function and coordinates growth plate remodeling and osteoprogenitor recruitment in juvenile mouse bone. Learn more about the background story.
Chondrocyte transcriptome
This interdisciplinary team effort has developed a novel strategy to precisely delineate the chondrocyte transcriptome from murine joint cartilage while avoiding dissociation-induced artifacts by combining bulk and scRNA sequencing.
In vitro & in silico OA model
In close collaboration with mathematicians, this study combined in vitro and in silico modeling, using a tissue-engineering approach based on mesenchymal condensation to mimic cytokine-induced changes during cartilage degradation.
Preprint Publications
Lang, A., Collins, J. M., Nijsure, M. P., Belali, S., Parvez Khan, M., Moharrer, Y., Schipani, E., Yien, Y. Y., Fan, Y., Gelinsky, M., Vinogradov, S. A., Koch, C., Boerckel, J. D. (2025) Local erythropoiesis directs oxygen availability in bone fracture repair. BioRxiv – https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.10.632440
Nijsure, M. P., , Tobin, B., Jones, D. L., Lang, A., Hallström, G., Baitner, M., Tanner, G. I., Moharrer, Y., Panebianco, C. J., Seidl, E. G., Dyment, N. A., Szeto, G. L., Wood, L., Boerckel, J.D. (2024) YAP regulates periosteal expansion in fracture repair. BioRxiv – https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.12.23.630086
Lang, A., Eastburn, E. A., Younesi, M., Nijsure, M., Siciliano, C., Pranatharthi Haran, A., Panebianco, C.P., Seidl, E., Tang, R., Alsberg, E., Willett, N.J., Gottardi, R., Huh, D., Boerckel, J.D. (2024) Cyr61 delivery promotes angiogenesis during bone fracture repair. BioRxiv – https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.04.05.588239
Publications - Scientific Articles and Reviews
Rapp, A.E., Wolter, A., Muschter, D., Grässel, S., Lang, A. (2024) Impact of sensory neuropeptide deficiency on behavioral patterns and gait in a murine surgical osteoarthritis model. Journal of Orthopaedic Research (JOR). Dec; 42(12):2673-2682. PMID: 39096166
Ramos, Y., Rice, S.J., Ali, S.A., Pastrello, C., Jurisica, I., Rai, M.F., Collins, K.H., Lang, A., Maerz, T., Geurts, J., Ruiz Romero, C., June, R.K., Appleton, C.T., Rockel, J.S., Kapoor, M. (2024) Evolution and advancements in genomics and epigenomics in OA research: How far we have come. Osteoarthritis & Cartilage. Jul; 32(7):858-868. PMID: 38428513
Lang, A.#, Benn, A., Wolter, A., Balcaen, T., Collins, J., Kerckhofs, G., Zwijsen, A., Boerckel, J.D. (2024) Endothelial SMAD1/5 signaling couples angiogenesis to osteogenesis during long bone growth. Communications Biology. Mar 13; 7: 315. PMID: 38480819
Collins, J.M., Lang, A., Parisi, C., Moharrer, Y., Nijsure, M.P., Kim, J.H., Szeto, G.L., Qin, L., Gottardi, R.L., Dyment, N.A., Nowlan, N.C., Boerckel, J.D. (2023) YAP and TAZ couple osteoblast precursor mobilization to angiogenesis and mechanoregulated bone development. Developmental Cell. Dec 22; 59(2): P211-227. PMID: 38141609
Wolter, A., Jirkof, P., Thöne-Reineke, C., Rapp, A.E*., Lang, A.*# (2023) Evaluating rearing behaviour as model-specific pain indicator in mouse osteotomy models. Laboratory Animals. Sep; 58(1):9-21. PMID: 37684025
Rai, M.F., Collins, K.H., Lang, A., Maerz, T., Geurts, J., Ruiz Romero, C., June, R.K., Ramos, Y., Rice, S.J., Ali, S.A., Pastrello, C., Jurisica, I., Appleton, C.T., Rockel, J.S., Kapoor, M. (2023) Three Decades of Advancements in Osteoarthritis Research: Insights from Transcriptomic, Proteomic, and Metabolomic Studies. Osteoarthritis & Cartilage. Apr; 32(4): 385-397. PMID: 38049029
Wolter, A., Bucher, C. H., Kurmies, S., Schreiner, V., Konietschke, F., Hohlbaum, K., Klopfleisch, R., Löhning, M., Thöne-Reineke, C., Buttgereit, F., Huywler, J., Jirkof, P., Rapp, A. E.*, Lang, A.*# (2023) A Buprenorphine depot formulation provides effective sustained post-surgical analgesia for 72h in mouse femoral fracture models. Scientific Reports. Mar 7; 13(1): 3824. PMID: 36882427
Anup, A., Dietrich, S., Oreffo, R.O.C., Dailey, H.L., Lang, A., Haffner-Luntzer, M., Hixon, K.R. (2023) Embracing Ethical Research: Implementing the 3R Principles into Fracture Healing Research for Sustainable Scientific Progress. Journal of Orthopaedic Research. Mar; 42(3): 568-577. PMID: 38124294
Schulze, F., Lang, A., Schoon, J., Wassilew, G.I., Reichert, J. (2023) Scaffold Guided Bone Regeneration for the Treatment of Large Segmental Defects in Long Bones. Biomedicines. Jan 24; 11(2): 325. PMID: 36830862
Rios, J., Sapède, D., Djouad, F., Rapp, A., Lang, A., Larkin, J., Ladel, C., Mobasheri, A. (2022) Animal models of osteoarthritis part 1 - Preclinical small animal models: challenges and opportunities for drug development. Current Protocols. Nov; 2(11): e596. PMID: 36342311
Bucher, C. H., Berkmann, J. C., Burkhardt, L.-M., Paschke, C., Schlundt, C., Lang, A., Wolter, A., Damerau, A., Geissler, S., Volk, H.-D., Duda, G. N., Schmidt-Bleek, K. (2022) Local immune cell contribution during fracture healing in the aged – novel role for interleukin 22. Experimental & Molecular Medicine. Aug; 54(8): 1262-1276. PMID: 36028760
Lang, A., Stefanowski, J., Pfeiffenberger, M., Wolter, A., Damerau, A., Hemmati-Sadeghi, S., Haag, R., Hauser, A.-E., Löhning, M., Perka, C., Duda, G.N., Hoff, P., Schmidt-Bleek, K.*, Gaber, T.* Buttgereit, F.* (2022) MIF does only marginally enhance the pro-regenerative capacities of DFO in a mouse-osteotomy-model of compromised bone healing conditions. Bone. Jan; 154: 116247. PMID: 34743042
Wolter, A.*, Rapp, A.E.*, Durst, M., Hildebrand, L., Löhning, L., Buttgereit, F., Schmidt-Bleek, K., Jirkof, P., Lang, A.# (2021) Systematic review on the reporting accuracy of experimental details in publications using mouse femoral fracture models. Bone. Nov; 152: 116088. PMID: 34175502
Sunkara, V., Heinz, G.A., Heinrich, F.F., Durek, P., Mobasheri, A., Mashreghi, M.-F.*, Lang, A.*# (2021). Combining segmental bulk- and single-cell RNA-sequencing to define the chondrocyte gene expression signature in the murine knee joint. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage. Jun 01; 29(6): 905–914. PMID: 33762205
Pfeiffenberger, M., Damerau, A., Ponomarev, I., Bucher, C.H., Chen, Y., Barnewitz, D., Thöne-Reineke, C., Hoff, P., Buttgereit, F., Gaber, T., Lang, A.# (2021) Functional scaffold‐free bone equivalents induce osteogenic and angiogenic processes in a human in vitro fracture hematoma model. Journal of Bone Mineral Research. Jun 01; 26(6): 1189–1201. PMID: 33534144
Pfeiffenberger, M., Damerau, A., Lang, A., Buttgereit, F., Hoff, P., Gaber, T. (2021) Fracture Healing Research—Shift towards In Vitro Modeling? Biomedicines. 9 (748). PMID: 34203470
Damerau, A., Pfeiffenberger, M., Weber, M.-C., Burmester, G.-R., Buttgereit, F., Gaber, T.*, Lang, A.* (2020). Mimicking cytokine-induced key features of arthritis in a human in vitro 3D osteo-chondral tissue model. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Dec 24; 22(1): 128. PMID: 33374446
Pfeiffenberger, M., Hoff, P., Thöne-Reineke, C., Buttgereit, F., Lang, A., Gaber, T. (2020) The in vitro human fracture hematoma model – a tool for preclinical drug testing. ALTEX. Oct 20; 37(4):561–578. PMID: 32521037
Weber, M.-C.*, Fischer, L.*, Damerau, A., Ponomarev, I., Pfeiffenberger, M., Gaber, T., Götschel, S., Lang, J., Röblitz, S., Buttgereit, F., Ehrig, R., Lang, A.# (2020) Macroscale mesenchymal condensation to study cytokine-driven cellular and matrix-related changes during cartilage degradation. Biofabrication. Aug 10; 12(4):045016. PMID: 32598334
Gaber, T., Brinkman, A.C.K., Pienczikowski, J., Diesing, K., Damerau, K., Pfeiffenberger, M., Lang, A., Ohrndorf, S., Burmester, G.-R., Buttgereit, F., Hoff, P. (2020) Impact of janus kinase (Jak) inhibition with tofacitinib on fundamental processes of bone healing. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Jan 29; 21(3):865. PMID: 32013232
Jirkof, P.*, Durst, M.*, Klopfleisch, R., Palme, R., Thöne-Reineke, C., Buttgereit, F., Schmidt-Bleek, K., Lang, A.# (2019) Administration of Tramadol or Buprenorphine via the drinking water for post-operative analgesia in a mouse-osteotomy model. Scientific Reports. Jul 24; 9(1):10749. PMID: 31341225
Pfeiffenberger, M.*, Bartsch, J.*, Hoff, P., Ponomarev, I., Barnewitz, D., Thöne-Reineke, C., Buttgereit, F., Gaber, T.*, Lang, A.*# (2019) Hypoxia and mesenchymal stromal cells as key drivers of initial fracture healing in an equine in vitro fracture hematoma model. PLoS One. Apr 4; 14(4): e0214276. PMID: 30947253
Lang, A.*, Stefanowski, J.*, Rauch, A., Aulich, L., Köhler, M., Buttgereit, F., Schmidt-Bleek, K., Niesner, R., Gaber, T., Hauser, A. (2019) Spatial Distribution of Macrophages during Callus Formation and Maturation Reveals Close Crosstalk between Macrophages and Newly Forming Vessels. Frontiers Immunology. Nov 26; 10:2588. PMID: 31956322
Lang, A., Kirchner, M., Stefanowski, J., Durst, M., Weber, M.-C., Pfeiffenberger, M., Damerau, A., Hauser, A.E., Hoff, P., Duda, G.N., Buttgereit, F., Schmidt-Bleek, K.*, Gaber, T.* (2019) Col I-based Scaffolds Negatively Impact Fracture Healing in a Mouse-Osteotomy-Model Although Used Routinely in Clinical Application. Acta Biomaterialia. Mar 1; 86:171–184. PMID: 30616076
Gaber, T., Schönbeck, K., Hoff, H., Tran, C.L., Strehl, C., Lang, A., Ohrndorf, S., Pfeiffenberger, M., Röhner, E., Matziolis, G., Burmester, G.R., Buttgereit, F., Hoff, P. (2018) CTLA-4 Mediates Inhibitory Function of Mesenchymal Stem/Stromal Cells. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Aug 7; 19(8). PMID: 30087255
Scheinpflug, J.*, Pfeiffenberger, M.*, Damerau, A., Schwarz, F., Textor, M., Lang, A., Schulze, F. (2018) Journey into human bone models – A review. Genes. 9 (5). PMID: 29748516
Hoff, P., Gaber, T., Strehl, C., Jakstadt, M., Hoff, H., Schmidt-Bleek, K., Lang, A., Röhner, E., Huscher, D., Matziolis, G., Burmester, G.R., Schmidmaier, G., Perka, C., Duda, G.N., Buttgereit, F. (2017) A Pronounced Inflammatory Activity Characterizes the Early Fracture Healing Phase in Immunologically Restricted Patients. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. Mar 8; 18(3). pii: E583. PMID: 28282868
Hoff, P., Gaber, T., Strehl, C., Schmidt-Bleek, K., Lang, A., Huscher, D., Burmester, G.R., Schmidmaier, G., Perka, C., Duda, G.N., Buttgereit, F. (2016) Immunological characterization of the early human fracture hematoma. Immunologic Research. Sep 14; 64(5–6): 1195–1206. PMID: 27629117
Lang, A., Schulz, A., Ellinghaus, A., Schmidt-Bleek, K. (2016) Osteotomy models – the current status on pain scoring and management in small rodents. Laboratory animals, 50(6): 433–441. PMID: 27909193
Hoff, P., Belavý, D.L., Huscher, D., Lang, A., Hahne, M., Kuhlmey, A., Maschmeyer, P., Armbrecht, G., Fitzner, R., Perschel, F.H., Gaber, T., Burmester, G.R., Straub, R.H., Felsenberg, D., Buttgereit, F. (2015) Effects of 60-days bed rest with and without exercise on cellular and humoral immunological parameters. Cellular & Molecular Immunology. Nov 14; 12(4):483–92. PMID: 25382740
Röhner, E., Hoff,P. , Gaber, T., Lang, A., Vörös, P., Buttgereit, F., Perka, C., Windisch, C., Matziolis, G. (2015) Cytokine expression in human osteoblast after antiseptic treatment with polyhexanide but not chlorhexidine. Journal of Investigative Surgery. Aug 5; 28(1):1–7. PMID: 25093465
Lang, A., Neuhaus, J., Pfeiffenberger, M., Schröder, E., Weber, Y., Ponomarev, I., Gaber, T. & M.F.G. Schmidt (2014) Optimization of a non-viral transfection system to evaluate Cox-2 controlled IL-4 expression for osteoarthritis gene therapy in vitro. Journal of Gene Medicine. Nov–Dec; 16(11–12): 352–63. PMID: 25382123
Lang, A., De Vries, M., Feineis, S., Müller, E, Osterrieder, N. & A.M. Damiani (2013) Development of a peptide ELISA for discrimination between serological responses to equine herpesvirus type 1 and 4. Journal of Virological Methods. 193: 667– 673. PMID: 23928223
*contributed equally; #corresponding author