You are here

Louis Terracio

Louis
Terracio
Ph.D.
Professor, Basic Sciences; Associate Dean for Research
New York University College of Dentistry
New York University College of Dentistry
Professor, Pediatrics

Dr. Louis Terracio is Associate Dean for Research, Professor in the Department of Basic Science and Craniofacial Biology and Professor of Pediatrics at the School of Medicine. Dr. Terracio's research interests center on Cell-Extracellular Matrix (ECM) interaction during development and the application of Cell-ECM interactions to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In particular his lab investigates the role of integrins in the formation of normal muscle. An intact ECM-Integrin-Cytoskeletal complex appears to be essential for normal muscle orientation and pattern formation. His lab has demonstrated that thin aligned gels of collagen result in cultured myocytes taking on an elongated rod shape similar to in vivo. This system allowed his lab to investigate the effects of stretch on myocytes in either the long axis of the cell or across the short axis, where the ECM-Integrin-Cytoskeletal complex is most abundant. Data from this model coupled with data from a low shear culture environment on the Space Shuttle has led Dr. Terracio to focus his current research on tissue engineering muscle.

Dr. Terracio's lab is one of the first to tissue engineer a skeletal muscle construct that has structure and function similar to intact muscle. The muscle constructs tetanize and have length tension curves that are nearly identical to in vivo skeletal muscle. The magnitude of the force generated is small due to the small cross sectional area of the constructs. However, his lab has transplanted the constructs into rats with promising results. His lab currently is isolating stem cells (satellite cells) from muscle biopsies from pigs to determine the feasibility of using this system to replace lost skeletal muscle in humans.

Select Publications: 

Propst JT, Fann SA, Franchini JL, Hansen KJ, Yost MJ, Lessner SM, Terracio L. Focused in vivo genetic analysis of implanted engineered myofascial constructs. J Invest Surg. 2009 Jan-Feb;22(1):35-45.

Yan W, George S, Fotadar U, Tyhovych N, Kamer A, Yost MJ, Price RL, Haggart CR, Holmes JW, Terracio L. Tissue engineering of skeletal muscle. Tissue Eng. 2007 Nov;13(11):2781-90.

Fann SA, Terracio L, Yan W, Franchini JL, Yost MJ. A model of tissue-engineered ventral hernia repair. J Invest Surg. 2006 May-Jun;19(3):193-205.

Mironov V, Kasyanov VA, Yost MJ, Visconti R, Twal W, Trusk T, Wen X, Ozolanta I, Kadishs A, Prestwich GD, Terracio L, Markwald RR. Cardiovascular tissue engineering I. Perfusion bioreactors: a review. J Long Term Eff Med Implants. 2006;16(2):111-30. Review.

Yost MJ, Baicu CF, Stonerock CE, Goodwin RL, Price RL, Davis JM, Evans H, Watson PD, Gore CM, Sweet J, Creech L, Zile MR, Terracio L. A novel tubular scaffold for cardiovascular tissue engineering. Tissue Eng. 2004 Jan-Feb;10(1-2):273-84.

Young HE, Duplaa C, Yost MJ, Henson NL, Floyd JA, Detmer K, Thompson AJ, Powell SW, Gamblin TC, Kizziah K, Holland BJ, Boev A, Van De Water JM, Godbee DC, Jackson S, Rimando M, Edwards CR, Wu E, Cawley C, Edwards PD, Macgregor A, Bozof R, Thompson TM, Petro GJ Jr, Shelton HM, McCampbell BL, Mills JC, Flynt FL, Steele TA, Kearney M, Kirincich-Greathead A, Hardy W, Young PR, Amin AV, Williams RS, Horton MM, McGuinn S, Hawkins KC, Ericson K, Terracio L, Moreau C, Hixson D, Tobin BW, Hudson J, Bowyer FP 3rd, Black AC Jr. Clonogenic analysis reveals reserve stem cells in postnatal mammals. II. Pluripotent epiblastic-like stem cells. Anat Rec A Discov Mol Cell Evol Biol. 2004 Mar;277(1):178-203.

Young HE, Duplaa C, Romero-Ramos M, Chesselet MF, Vourc'h P, Yost MJ, Ericson K, Terracio L, Asahara T, Masuda H, Tamura-Ninomiya S, Detmer K, Bray RA, Steele TA, Hixson D, el-Kalay M, Tobin BW, Russ RD, Horst MN, Floyd JA, Henson NL, Hawkins KC, Groom J, Parikh A, Blake L, Bland LJ, Thompson AJ, Kirincich A, Moreau C, Hudson J, Bowyer FP 3rd, Lin TJ, Black AC Jr. Adult reserve stem cells and their potential for tissue engineering. Cell Biochem Biophys. 2004;40(1):1-80. Review.