Sarah Elizabeth Gullbrand, PhD
Research Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Department: Orthopaedic Surgery
Contact information
Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center
3900 Woodland Ave.
Research, A214
Philadelphia, PA 19104
3900 Woodland Ave.
Research, A214
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: 203-260-3089
Publications
Education:
BS (Biomedical Engineering)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute , 2009.
PhD (Biomedical Engineering)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute , 2014.
Permanent linkBS (Biomedical Engineering)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute , 2009.
PhD (Biomedical Engineering)
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute , 2014.
Description of Research Expertise
I am currently a Research Scientist in the Translational Musculoskeletal Research Center at the Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMedical Center, with a co-appointment as a Research Assistant Professor in the McKay Orthopaedic Research Laboratory in the
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. As a graduate student, I was awarded a National Science
Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to pursue my thesis research on enhancing intervertebral disc nutrition as a potential
therapeutic strategy for the treatment of disc degeneration. My thesis work with Dr. Eric Ledet illustrated for the first time that
convective transport induced by mechanical loading can enhance the uptake and clearance of small molecules in the healthy and
degenerative disc. This work was awarded the 2015 ISSLS Prize for Lumbar Spine Research in Bioengineering, the most prestigious
award in the field of spine research. My postdoctoral research with Dr. Robert Mauck at the University of Pennsylvania furthered my
interests in disc regeneration and was focused on evaluating novel tissue engineered therapeutics for disc degeneration in translational
animal models. This work was supported by a VA Career Development Award (CDA-1), and our publication on the long-term in vivo
evaluation of a tissue engineered disc replacement in Science Translational Medicine was featured by numerous news outlets including
the Philadelphia Inquirer and Popular Science. My transition to independent faculty was supported by a VA RR&D CDA-2 Award to
study the contribution of vertebral endplate remodeling and altered disc nutrition on the progression of disc degeneration. My current
research interests, supported by NIH and VA awards, include studying crosstalk between the intervertebral disc and adjacent spinal
tissues (including the vertebral bone and facet joints) during degeneration, and translating new tissue engineering and regenerative
medicine therapeutics for the treatment of disc degeneration and disc herniation.
Selected Publications
Janai A Augustin, Kevin G Burt, Caitlin Barrett, Matthew Fainor, Brianna S Orozco, Thomas P Schaer, Harvey E Smith, Robert L Mauck, Sarah E Gullbrand: Neuroimmune Activation in a Goat Model of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration. Cells 15(3): 286, 2026.Kevin G. Burt, Venise C. Martinez, Sarah E. Gullbrand, Robert L. Mauck, Carla Scanzello: Imaging Mass Cytometry Reveals Rapid And Profound Changes In The Cellular Landscape Of Both Injured And Adjacent Intervertebral Discs. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society(222), 2025.
Matthew Fainor, Aira Bazaz, Harvey E. Smith, Sarah E. Gullbrand: Assessing Cell Therapy Retention And Survival Across A Spectrum Of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration In Rabbits. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society (665), 2025.
Esteban D. Ongini, Mohammed Abdullah, Julie B. Engiles, Brianna S. Orozco, Andrea Moehl, Ana Peredo, Sonal Mahindroo, Rachel Hilliard, Thomas P. Schaer, Robert L. Mauck, Harvey E. Smith, Mazda Farshad, Jess G. Snedeker, Sarah E. Gullbrand: Annulus Repair Via Interpenetrated Non-woven Scaffold Supports Tissue Integration And Prevents Herniation. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society(227), 2025.
Agathe Guillemet, Leslie Brewer, Harrah Newman, Sarah Gullbrand, Dawn Elliott, Thomas P. Schaer: Longitudinal Assessment Of Trans-endplate Diffusion In A Goat Model Of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society(2237), 2025.
Sage S Frehner, Matthew Fainor, Galina Dulatov, Ryan Ringwood, Hannah Loftus, Cody Warner, Aira Bazaz, Harvey E Smith, Robert L Mauck, Isaac Erickson, Sarah E Gullbrand: A Human Progenitor Cell-Based Tissue Engineered Intervertebral Disc. Tissue Engineering Part A in press, 2025.
Hunter Levis, Matthew Fainor, Sarah E. Gullbrand, Robby D. Bowles: Targeted Multiplex CRISPRa Upregulation Of Novel Gene, ZNF865, Enhances Cell Infiltration, Cartilage Deposition And Mechanical Properties Of Human-sized Engineered Discs. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society(226), 2025.
Brianna S. Orozco, Sarah E. Gullbrand: Effects Of Intervertebral Disc Health, Endplate Degeneration And Solute Molecular Weight On Trans-endplate Diffusion. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society(2247), 2025.
Hisham Omar, Paulina Bargallo Gonzalez Lugo, Rachel Bonfini, Matthew Fainor, Sarah E. Gullbrand, Michael W. Hast: Triply Periodic Minimal Surface Architectures Improve In Vitro Bone Growth in PCL Scaffolds. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society(2141), 2025.
Levis H, Lewis C, Fainor M, Lawal A, Stockham E, Weston J, Farhang N, Gullbrand SE, Bowles RD: Targeted CRISPR regulation of ZNF865 enhances stem cell cartilage deposition, tissue maturation rates, and mechanical properties in engineered intervertebral discs. Acta Biomaterialia 191: 276-291, 2025.