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Dr. Fadia Kamal works in a lab in the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation at Penn State College of Medicine in August 2017. She is holding a pipette in one hand and a small dish in the other and looking toward the camera.

Research Projects

Elbarbary Lab

Bone regeneration and fracture healing: RNA Biology meets bone biology Expand answer

Bone regeneration and fracture healing: RNA Biology meets bone biology

Imaging of fracture callus

Fracture callus

Molecular mechanisms: Roles of ncRNAs and RNA processing mechanisms in nonunion and defective healing in diabetic patients and mouse models
NIH-funded (R01)

Osteoimmunology (collaboration with Department of Microbiology and Immunology)

  • CURE
  • Scored R21, R01; preparing an A1

Cannabinoids as alternative analgesics to NSAIDs in fracture patients:

Depiction of RNA sequencing

Single-cell RNA sequencing of fracture callus

  • Collaboration with the Pennsylvania-approved Medical Marijuana Academic Clinical Research Center
  • Provisional patent
  • Clinical studies and industry collaboration

View Dr. Elbarbary’s lab website

Kamal Lab

Basic Science Expand answer

Cell Signaling & Drug Discovery/Repurposing

  • Regulation of GPCR signaling in Osteoarthritis
    • Repurposing of paroxetine for Osteoarthritis treatment
    • Funded by R01, NIAMS 2019-2023
  • Engineering of local implants for sustained drug release for osteoarthritis.
    • Collaboration with Amir Sheikhi (Penn State Chemical Engineering)
    • Funded by Penn State College of Medicine Center for Medical Innovation
  • Cannabinoids for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis (pain and degeneration).
    • Collaboration with Penn State College of Medicine’s Medical Marijuana Academic Clinical Research Center
  • GRCR regulation in skeletal development and rare skeletal diseases
    • Collaboration with Maurizio Pacifici (CHOP, Philadelphia)
Clinical Studies Expand answer
  • Repurposing paroxetine for Post-traumatic Osteoarthritis treatment
    • Collaboration with Robert Gallo (Department of Orthopedics) and Timothy Mosher (Department of Radiology)
  • Investigating the pathophysiology of Hand Osteoarthritis
    • Collaboration with Sharon Banks (Department Rheumatology).
    • Orthopedics Department Funds

Lewis Lab

Bone, Joint and Implant Biomechanics Expand answer
Preoperative and Postoperative x-rays of a femur where that was a fracture with four computer-created models from an analysis in the middle

Patient-specific modeling of two options for femur fracture fixation (with fracture occurring between hip and knee joint replacements).

Bone, Joint and Implant Biomechanics

Replacement shoulder being tested in a mechanical machine

Mechanical testing of a cadaver with shoulder replacement.

  • R01-funded project: Computer simulation development for surgeon training in fracture fixation biomechanics
  • R25-funded research education program: device design for biomedical engineering undergraduates
  • Collaboration with surgeons on industry-supported implant biomechanics studies


Szczesny Lab

Tendon Remodeling Expand answer

Tendon Remodeling

  • Degeneration (NSF CAREER, NIH R21)
  • Repair (DOD)
  • Development (NSF, NIH R21)

A left side titled Structure-Function and a right side titled Mechanobiology with two curved arrows in the center indicating a cyclical or interactive process between the sections. The structure-function section has multiscale testing with a heat map image, microscopic imaging with an imaging taken from a microscope and modeling with a diagram labeled unit cell depicted with a diagram labeled Unit Cell. The Mechanobiology has three microscopic images titled Mechanical Stimuli, Gene Expression and protein Synthesis.

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