Academic title(s):
Associate Professor, Department of Dentistry
Associate Member, Department of Biomedical Engineering
Position(s):
Shriners Investigator, RI-MUHC
Research Interests:
Biomolecular and Cellular Engineering
Biomedical Modeling
Dr. Komarova’s research interests are in bone-centered physiology. She uses in vitro, in vivo and in silico approaches to understand how mechanical, biochemical, and cellular microenvironment shapes the function of bone cells; and how the function of bone cells in turn alters micro- and macro-environment of the organism.
Her laboratory members use live cell imaging, cell and molecular biology as well as in vivo approaches to study cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions in the bone microenvironment, the role of mechanical forces in regulating bone cells, and the consequences of altered bone resorption for the whole body physiology. In addition, she aims to develop computational support for the projects, including quantitative literature reviews, mathematical models to help in understanding the complex interactions, and computational tools for data analysis.
Dr. Komarova’s research program is aimed at understanding the regulation of osteoclasts, the cells responsible for bone destruction in diseases such as osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, periodontitis and bone metastases. Osteoclasts are highly active cells, present in bone only in small numbers. Moreover, osteoclasts are terminally differentiated, and therefore do not proliferate in culture. To understand the mechanisms that determine stimulus-specific gene expression in osteoclasts, Dr. Komarova’s laboratory employs high-speed imaging of live cells, quantitative gene expression analysis, as well as mathematical modeling. These studies will provide new insights into the control of bone resorption in health and disease, which may lead to the development of new therapies for treatment of inflammatory, metabolic and metastatic bone disorders.
Degree(s):
M.Sc. in physics, Moscow State University, Russia
Ph.D. in biophysics, Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Biophysics, Pushchino, Russia
Fellowship Training:
Life Sciences Branch, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, USA
Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, USA
CIHR Group in Skeletal Development and Remodeling, The University of Western Ontario, Canada
Location:
Shriners Hospitals for Children
1003 Decarie Blvd, Montreal, QC H4A 0A9