Team

Dr. Annemarie Lang, PhD

Principal Investigator & Assistant Professor 

I earned my veterinary degree and doctoral degree (Dr. med. vet./DVM) at Freie Universität Berlin and completed a PhD with a specialization in Regenerative Therapies and Biomedical Sciences, followed by postdoctoral training at Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Germany.  

As a Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow with Joel D. Boerckel, PhD at the University of Pennsylvania, I investigated local oxygenation within the fracture gap and discovered that bone fractures initiate localized erythropoiesis, which regulates oxygen levels and drives subsequent repair. These discoveries now form the foundation of my research program. I concluded my postdoctoral training in the lab of Prof. Michael Gelinsky at the Carl Gustav Carus Medical Hospital, Technical University Dresden. 

In January 2025, I joined the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Michigan as a tenure-track Assistant Professor, contributing to the Engineering Cell Programmable Biomaterials for Regenerative Medicine Scientific Research Initiative.

Current Professional Engagements:

• Communication Chair of the ORS Preclinical Model Section

• Vice President of the European Society for Alternatives to Animal Testing 

• Outgoing Young Researcher Coordinator, European COST Action IMPROVE

• Editor-in-Chief Laboratory Animals (SAGE Journals)

• Board Member of MuSkITYR

Email: annelang@med.umich.edu

Follow me on LinkedIn or Bluesky or X —check out my ORCID profile

Prakaimuk Saraithong (Kim) MS, Ph.D.

Research Lab Specialist 

Kim received a US scholarship to join the international research projects and continued her Ph.D. as a research fellow at the New York University (NYU). She was appointed a postdoctoral associate in the NYU Bluestone Center for Clinical Research investigating the relationship between  oral cancer and pain. Following to the second postdoctoral at the University of Michigan (UM) School of Dentistry, she applied breakthrough molecular techniques to gene regulation in oral spirochetes. Training abroad includes genotyping bacteria in Sweden.  Having worked at UM for 8 years as a research lab specialist and lab manager, she performed  state-of-the-art genetic approaches e.g. RNA-seq and 2D, 3D cell culture in organoids and stem cells. She has published work across diverse fields, including microorganisms, insect behavior, stem cells and tissue engineering. As an advert supporter of lifelong learning, Kim enjoys interacting with our students as well as her co-workers toward  accomplishing a mutual goal. In March 2025, she joined Dr. Lang’s lab to be a master in flow cytometry, single cell sequencing and cutting-edge  in vitro cell culture models. 

In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, gardening, taking care of her ducks and koi fishes. 

Tina Xiaohua Gao, MD

Research Lab Specialist 

Tina is a highly experienced Research Lab Specialist Inter with a broad scientific background spanning Molecular Biology, Cell Biology, Immunology, Cancer Research, and wound healing. Over the course of her career, she has contributed to research at several esteemed institutions, including 18 years at Henry Ford Health System, 2 years at Wayne State University, and the past 6 years at the University of Michigan. Tina earned her MD from Shandong University School of Medicine and completed a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Women and Children’s Hospital in China. During her clinical training, more than half of her surgical caseload focused on conditions related to the female reproductive system and pregnancy. This extensive surgical experience has been instrumental in her research work. Prior to joining Dr. Lang's lab, she conducted a wide range of complex procedures, including lung transplantation, abdominal and thoracic aortic aneurysm models, hindlimb ischemia, spinal cord hemi-section, wound healing studies, and orthotopic xenografts. Her research over the past two decades has focused extensively on the molecular mechanisms of cancer. In her current role in Dr. Lang’s lab, she is responsible for performing various mouse fracture and osteotomy models.  

Beyond the lab, Tina is a former competitive speed skater and remains passionate about fitness and the outdoors. She and her family enjoy spending time outside and listening to music together.