Summary
Dr Marenzana''s research is concerned with the basic biological mechanisms by which connective and skeletal tissue cells respond to the mechanical environment by remodelling the structure and composition of their extracellular matrix and how these built-in, evolutionary mechanisms are affected by pathological conditions.
Over the years his approach has been to combined quantitative imaging techniques with bespoke mechanotronic devices to accurately characterize the mechanical environment in which the mechanisms of cell-driven tissue remodelling were investigated. Using similar approaches, his group is now carrying out studies on the mechanobiology of the articular joints in mouse models of osteoarthritis. Their goal is to characterise the mechanical factors and the structural changes in articular cartilage and subchondral bone in mouse models of mechanically-induced osteoarthritis as the basis to pin down the relationship between mechanical stresses and the molecular signalling leading to joint pathology (see research pages).
After completing his PhD in 2004 at the Tissue Repair and Engineering Centre, University College London, Dr Marenzana held two postdoctoral positions in two bone research groups (Bone Metabolic Unit, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milano, Italy and Bone Group, Royal Veterinary College, London). In 2008 he was appointed senior research scientist in the R&D department of a pharmaceutical company based in UK, with the role of developing studies focussed on the biology of on sclerostin, a novel mechanotransduction-related bone pharmacological target (see CV for more details). Since 2010, he returned to academia, joining the Imperial College London with a lecturer appointment, joint between the Department of Bioengineering and the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology Division. With this appointment, he has also joined the Centre for Medical Solutions in the Management of Osteoarthritis.
Dr Marenzana's research publications can be found at the tab above, or on Google Scholar.
Publications
Journals
Borges PDN, Forte AE, Vincent TL, et al., 2014, Rapid, automated imaging of mouse articular cartilage by microCT for early detection of osteoarthritis and finite element modelling of joint mechanics, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, Vol:22, ISSN:1063-4584, Pages:1419-1428
Jones GN, Moschidou D, Abdulrazzak H, et al., 2014, Potential of Human Fetal Chorionic Stem Cells for the Treatment of Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Stem Cells and Development, Vol:23, ISSN:1547-3287, Pages:262-276
Marenzana M, Arnett TR, 2013, The Key Role of the Blood Supply to Bone, Bone Research, Vol:1, Pages:203-215
Marenzana M, Vugler A, Moore A, et al., 2013, Effect of sclerostin-neutralising antibody on periarticular and systemic bone in a murine model of rheumatoid arthritis: a microCT study, Arthritis Research & Therapy, Vol:15, ISSN:1478-6354
Marenzana M, Hagen CK, Borges PDN, et al., 2012, Visualization of small lesions in rat cartilage by means of laboratory-based x-ray phase contrast imaging, Physics in Medicine and Biology, Vol:57, ISSN:0031-9155