Welcome to the Lab
The Neuroskeletal Biology Laboratory (NSBL) was founded in 2016 and is part of the Musculoskeletal Research Center (MRC) and Division of Bone and Mineral Diseases at Washington University. The laboratory consists of a mix of technicians, trainees/fellows, and undergraduate researchers. For more information about our members and their accomplishments, please see the people, awards, and antics pages. You can also find us on twitter.
Our Research
Our laboratory synthesizes concepts from cell biology, physiology, and bioengineering to study the relationships between the nervous system and the skeleton. We have a directed interest in understanding how neural signals contribute to skeletal homeostasis, and how perturbations to this system contribute to bone loss, impaired healing, and skeletal pain. For more information about our work, see our projects and publications.
Recent Events
Congrats to Xiao Zhang for successfully defending his thesis
Xiao presented his thesis “Catecholamine-independent lipolysis drives the end-stage utilization of bone marrow adipose tissue” on July 23, 2024.
Minielly receives 2025 Ralph S. Quatrano Prize
Katherine Minielly, a former undergraduate in the lab, who will earn a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the McKelvey School of Engineering May 12, has been chosen to receive the 2025 Ralph S. Quatrano Prize, given in honor of Ralph Quatrano, the Spencer T. Olin Professor Emeritus, dean of Engineering from 2010 to 2015 […]
Mohamed Hassan presents at Science SLAM; wins travel award (Links to an external site)
Mohammed Hassan recently presented at the WashU MRC Symposium. He presented his research on how dietary habits shape how our next generation will look like.
Congratulations Xiao Zhang for winning best poster and a travel award at the MRC Symposium (Links to an external site)
Dr. Scheller presents the keynote lecture at the Mayo-UMN Combined MSK Research Symposium (Links to an external site)
Sarm1 knockout prevents type 1 diabetic bone disease in females independent of neuropathy (Links to an external site)
Patients with diabetes have a high risk of developing skeletal diseases accompanied by diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). In this study, we isolated the role of DPN in skeletal disease with global and conditional knockout models of sterile-α and TIR-motif-containing protein-1 (Sarm1). SARM1, an NADase highly expressed in the nervous system, regulates axon degeneration upon a […]
Development and Expansion of Intramuscular Adipose Tissue is Not Dependent on UCP-1-Lineage Cells in Mice (Links to an external site)
Accumulation of adipose tissue within and outside of skeletal muscle is associated with orthopedic injury and metabolic disease, where it is thought to impede muscle function. The close juxtaposition between this adipose and myofibers has led to hypotheses that paracrine interactions between the two regulate local physiology. Recent work suggests that intramuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) […]
Grad Student Xiao Zhang presented his work on neural regulation of adipose tissues at the Cell Press Symposia (Links to an external site)
Xiao presented his work on the “Molecular mechanisms and integrative physiology of obesity” at the Cell Press Symposia
Proud of our postdoc Mohamed Hassan for representing his work on craniofacial regeneration (Links to an external site)
Mohammed Hassan presents his work on craniofacial regeneration at the recent meeting for the Society of Craniofacial Genetics & Developmental Biology #dentistscientistsrock
Congratulations to Samia Saleem on her first ASBMR presentation! (Links to an external site)
“With adequate optimization, GeoMx spatial transcriptomics is a robust tool for bone.” Samia presented her research on Spatial Transcriptomics at the ASBMR Conference in Vancouver. She talked about changes in bone in response to loading and the role of spatial transcriptomics in identifying important genes and pathways.
Department on Bone and Mineral Diseases celebrates Dr. Erica Scheller on her promotion to Associate Professor. (Links to an external site)
Congratulations to Dr. Erica Scheller on her promotion to Associate Professor. Her contributions and dedication have earned her this well-deserved recognition. Congratulations, Dr. Scheller!
Xiao Zhang attends the BME leadership retreat in Minnesota.
Xiao Zhang, a PhD student in the Scheller lab attended the Biomedical Engineering retreat in Minnesota. This regional career conference helps strengthen and diversify the next generation of researchers, giving them the opportunity to network with leaders in the field. It also provides a great opportunity to learn from faculty and peers about academic careers […]
Xiao Zhang and Lila Dabill present at the 2023 Endocrine Society Meeting (Links to an external site)
Xiao Zhang and Lila Dabill had a great time meeting some of their favorite science celebs at #ENDO2023. Thankful that such esteemed members of the community are there to encourage the next generation!
Scheller Lab presents posters at MRC Symposium (Links to an external site)
The Scheller Lab members presented their posters at the Musculoskeletal Research Symposium while Dr. Scheller presented her postdoc Dr. Muhammad Hassan’s research. The annual MRC symposium always challenges us to grow by putting our work out there. Congratulations to our experienced pros and first time presenters, and especially Xiao Zhang for taking home one of […]
Scheller Lab’s day out at the Cardinals Game (Links to an external site)
This past Thursday, the Scheller Lab went to the Cardinals Game for a day out. The members enjoyed lunch at Salt and Smoke before heading to the game. They also celebrated Anurag’s last day in the lab as he departs for medical school.
Kyle Koester presents his poster at the WUSTL undergraduate symposium (Links to an external site)
Kyle Koester, an undergraduate at the Scheller Lab, under mentorship of Dr. Muhammad Hassan, successfully presented his poster at the WUSTL undergraduate symposium. His poster talked about the effects of maternal and grandmaternal diet on offspring craniofacial morphology.
Scheller Lab presents posters at TRINS Neurometabolism Symposium (Links to an external site)
We recently attended the TRINS Neurometabolism Symposium at Ohio State University. Graduate researchers of the Scheller Lab, Lila Dabill and Xiao Zhang presented their posters at the symposium. We enjoyed meeting with other labs and discussing our shared interest of neurometabolism.
Knockout of TSC2 in Nav1.8+ neurons predisposes to the onset of normal weight obesity (Links to an external site)
Obesity and nutrient oversupply increase mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling in multiple cell types and organs, contributing to the onset of insulin resistance and complications of metabolic disease. However, it remains unclear when and where mTOR activation mediates these effects, limiting options for therapeutic intervention. The objective of this study was to isolate the role of constitutive […]
Dr. Scheller presents at Wayne State, University of Pittsburgh, and AgNovos (Links to an external site)
Dr. Scheller recently had the opportunity to present the ongoing work in the lab on neural regulation of bone and BMAT as part of two seminars at Wayne State University and University of Pittsburgh. She also presented an educational seminar on skeletal innervation and bone pain to the leadership at AgNovos.
Anna Li and Anurag Majumdar selected as BioSURF fellows (Links to an external site)
Undergraduates Anna Li and Anurag Majumdar were selected to join the 2022 class of BioSURF summer research fellows. They will spend 10-weeks full time over the summer pursuing their projects on the origins of skeletal innervation and neural regulation of bone marrow adiposity.