BME PhD Preliminary Exam Announcement for Paula Sarmiento (D. Little, advisor) Everyone is invited to attend the public presentation beginning at 10:00am EST. Research Title: Rotator Cuff Tendon Characterization Through Multi-omics Techniques Date: May 17th, 2022 Time: 10:00am EST Location: Online, Zoom. Topic: Paula Sarmiento's Preliminary Exam Time: May 17, 2022, 10:00 AM Indiana (EST) Join Zoom Meeting https://purdue-edu.zoom.us/j/98106574717 Meeting ID: 981 0657 4717 Committee Members: Dr. Dianne Little D.V.M. Ph.D. (Chair) Dr. Douglas Brubaker Ph.D. Dr. Sarah Snelling Ph.D. Dr. Luis Solorio Ph.D. Dr. Vikki Weake Ph.D. Abstract: Rotator cuff tendon (RCT) tears cause chronic shoulder pain and impaired function. RCT repair is typically done through suture repair and allograft extracellular matrix patch augmentation, but re-tear of the fibrotic repair is common. The low cellularity and hierarchical dense matrix of tendon further impedes regenerative healing due to extended inflammatory stages and slow remodeling. As a result, high retear rates can occur. Tissue engineering works to eliminate these shortcomings. Tendon engineered approaches seek to support the healing structure with a biomaterial and functional cells (mesenchymal progenitors, tendon fibroblasts) to increase organized matrix deposition and remodeling. Novel engineered approaches are evaluated through specific tendon-related outcomes including expression of tendon-related genes and development of highly aligned collagen. These outcomes evaluate a small fraction of the tendon phenotype but do not guarantee uniform cell differentiation or a healthy mature tendon phenotype. Hence, initially promising results can show disappointing long-term results, or complications (e.g., fibrochondrogenesis, fibrosis, metabolic imbalance). Prior work shows promise for engineered tendon development through enrichment of novel biomaterial scaffolds with tendon extracellular matrix. The overarching goal is to characterize native healthy and diseased RCT through integration of multiomic platforms and then use this new insight to better evaluate novel engineered tendon approaches. Here I will identify how close these engineered tendons come to mimicking healthy tendons. I will implement unbiased multiomic techniques that, when integrated, completely characterize and integrate outcomes. Together these studies will improve definition of outcomes and increase understanding of engineered approaches for treating RCT tears.