Spencer Szczesny

Assistant Professor of Bioengineering

Spencer Szczesny

Research Summary

Mechanobiology focusing on how mechanical stimuli influence tendon cell behavior in their native microenvironment with the ultimate goal of understanding tendon pathology and identifying novel therapeutic options.

Huck Affiliations

Links

Publication Tags

Mechanics Tendons Collagen Tissue Hydrogels Stem Cells Fibers Plasticity Substrates Stiffness Shear Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Mesenchymal Stem Cells Plastics Atomic Force Microscopy Shear Stress Bioreactors Gages Microstructure Biocompatible Materials Fatigue Strain Tissue Engineering Adhesion Fatigue Of Materials

Most Recent Publications

The Elephant in the Cell: Nuclear Mechanics and Mechanobiology

Michelle L. Jones, Kris Noel Dahl, Tanmay P. Lele, Daniel E. Conway, Vivek Shenoy, Soham Ghosh, Spencer E. Szczesny, 2022, Journal of Biomechanical Engineering

A Novel, Open-Source, Low-Cost Bioreactor for Load-Controlled Cyclic Loading of Tendon Explants

Krishna Pedaprolu, Spencer E. Szczesny, 2022, Journal of Biomechanical Engineering

Mechanical Stimulation as Both the Cause and the Cure of Tendon and Ligament Injuries

Lauren Paschall, Krishna Pedaprolu, Sabrina Carrozzi, A Dhawan, Spencer Szczesny, 2022,

Mechanical Stimulation via Muscle Activity Is Necessary for the Maturation of Tendon Multiscale Mechanics During Embryonic Development

Benjamin E. Peterson, Rebecca A. Rolfe, Allen Kunselman, Paula Murphy, Spencer E. Szczesny, 2021, Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

Dependence of tendon multiscale mechanics on sample gauge length is consistent with discontinuous collagen fibrils

Benjamin E. Peterson, Spencer E. Szczesny, 2020, Acta Biomaterialia on p. 302-309

Ex vivo models of musculoskeletal tissues

Spencer E. Szczesny, 2020, Connective Tissue Research on p. 245-247

Fatigue loading of tendon results in collagen kinking and denaturation but does not change local tissue mechanics

Spencer E. Szczesny, Céline Aeppli, Alexander David, Robert L. Mauck, 2018, Journal of Biomechanics on p. 251-256

Matching material and cellular timescales maximizes cell spreading on viscoelastic substrates

Ze Gong, Spencer E. Szczesny, Steven R. Caliari, Elisabeth E. Charrier, Ovijit Chaudhuri, Xuan Cao, Yuan Lin, Robert L. Mauck, Paul A. Janmey, Jason A. Burdick, Vivek B. Shenoy, 2018, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. E2686-E2695

Expansion of mesenchymal stem cells on electrospun scaffolds maintains stemness, mechano-responsivity, and differentiation potential

Su Jin Heo, Spencer E. Szczesny, Dong Hwa Kim, Kamiel S. Saleh, Robert L. Mauck, 2018, Journal of Orthopaedic Research on p. 808-815

Crimped Nanofibrous Biomaterials Mimic Microstructure and Mechanics of Native Tissue and Alter Strain Transfer to Cells

Spencer E. Szczesny, Tristan P. Driscoll, Hsiao Yun Tseng, Pang Ching Liu, Su Jin Heo, Robert L. Mauck, Pen Hsiu G. Chao, 2017, ACS Biomaterials Science and Engineering on p. 2869-2876

Most-Cited Papers

Matching material and cellular timescales maximizes cell spreading on viscoelastic substrates

Ze Gong, Spencer E. Szczesny, Steven R. Caliari, Elisabeth E. Charrier, Ovijit Chaudhuri, Xuan Cao, Yuan Lin, Robert L. Mauck, Paul A. Janmey, Jason A. Burdick, Vivek B. Shenoy, 2018, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on p. E2686-E2695

Interfibrillar shear stress is the loading mechanism of collagen fibrils in tendon

Spencer E. Szczesny, Dawn M. Elliott, 2014, Acta Biomaterialia on p. 2582-2590

Quantification of interfibrillar shear stress in aligned soft collagenous tissues via notch tension testing

Spencer E. Szczesny, Jeffrey L. Caplan, Pal Pedersen, Dawn M. Elliott, 2015, Scientific Reports

Biaxial mechanics and inter-lamellar shearing of stem-cell seeded electrospun angle-ply laminates for annulus fibrosus tissue engineering

Tristan P. Driscoll, Ryan H. Nakasone, Spencer E. Szczesny, Dawn M. Elliott, Robert L. Mauck, 2013, Journal of Orthopaedic Research on p. 864-870

Mechanically Induced Chromatin Condensation Requires Cellular Contractility in Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Su Jin Heo, Woojin M. Han, Spencer E. Szczesny, Brian D. Cosgrove, Dawn M. Elliott, David A. Lee, Randall L. Duncan, Robert L. Mauck, 2016, Biophysical Journal on p. 864-874

Incorporating plasticity of the interfibrillar matrix in shear lag models is necessary to replicate the multiscale mechanics of tendon fascicles

Spencer E. Szczesny, Dawn M. Elliott, 2014, Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials on p. 325-338

The Nuclear Option: Evidence Implicating the Cell Nucleus in Mechanotransduction

Spencer E. Szczesny, Robert L. Mauck, 2017, Journal of Biomechanical Engineering

Cross-Linking Chemistry of Tyramine-Modified Hyaluronan Hydrogels Alters Mesenchymal Stem Cell Early Attachment and Behavior

Claudia Loebel, Spencer E. Szczesny, Brian D. Cosgrove, Mauro Alini, Marcy Zenobi-Wong, Robert L. Mauck, David Eglin, 2017, Biomacromolecules on p. 855-864

Experimental and computational investigation of altered mechanical properties in myocardium after hydrogel injection

Elena Tous Kichula, Hua Wang, Shauna M. Dorsey, Spencer E. Szczesny, Dawn M. Elliott, Jason A. Burdick, Jonathan F. Wenk, 2014, Annals of Biomedical Engineering on p. 1546-1556

Evidence that interfibrillar load transfer in tendon is supported by small diameter fibrils and not extrafibrillar tissue components

Spencer E. Szczesny, Kristen L. Fetchko, George R. Dodge, Dawn M. Elliott, 2017, Journal of Orthopaedic Research on p. 2127-2134