|  Research Summary  |  Equipment & Techniques  |  Funding  |  Publications  |

Research Summary

My basic science research interests primarily lie in two areas: wound healing and peripheral nerve regeneration.

We are studying the role of fibrocytes in wound healing. Fibrocytes are thought to be fibroblast stem cells from hematopoietic lineage. They are known to play a significant role in pulmonary fibrosis model. However, its role in cutaneous wound healing has been less defined. We use a mouse model with tail-vein injection of cultured fibrocytes to monitor its effect on dorsal wound healing.

The second part of the wound healing project involves the generation of KGF null mice in the db/db background. KGF is one of the fibroblast growth factors that is highly mitogenic for keratinocytes and therefore thought to play a role in wound healing. KGF null mice however don't display significant deficit in wound healing. We aim to study the process of wound healing in diabetic KGF null mice in order to further delineate its role.

We are also interested in peripheral nerve regeneration, an important topic in hand and reconstructive surgery. We choose the sciatic nerve in mice as a model. We are engineering a replication defective neurotopic viral vector that can deliver any single gene product into the sciatic nerve. We will also use BPAG1 mice, a strain that has degenerative sciatic nerve, as a reporter system to study the regenerative effects of the various gene products we deliver with our viral vector.

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Equipment & Techniques

Operating microscope and table mount microscope for mouse experiments. We use a variety of techniques including real time PCR, genomic PCR screening, immunofluorescent staining, Western blots, cell cultures, ELISA, etc.

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Funding

1. American Association of Plastic Surgeons (PI: Guo, 07/2006 - 06/2010) -- "A novel gene delivery system for studying of peripheral nerve regeneration"

2. Department of Surgery Intramural Funds

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Publications

Guo L, Ferraro NF, Padwa B, Kaban LB, Upton J. Vascularized fibular graft for pediatric mandibular reconstruction. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. 2008;121(6).

Guo L, Friend J, Kim E, Lipsitz S, Orgill D, Pribaz J. Comparison of quantitative educational metrics between integrated and independent plastic surgery residents. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. 2008;122(3).

Guo L, Pribaz JR, Pribaz J. Nasal reconstruction with local flaps: a simple algorithm for management of small defects. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. 2008;122(5).

Guo L, Pribaz J. Prefabrication and prelamination. In: Wei F-C, Mardini S, editors. Atlas of Flaps and Microsurgical Techniques. London (UK): Elsevier Health Publishing;2008.

Winograd J, Guo L. Upper extremity. In: Wei F-C, Mardini S, editors. Atlas of Flaps and Microsurgical Techniques. London (UK): Elsevier Health Publishing;2008.

Upton J, Guo L. Pediatric free tissue transfer: a 28-year experience with 433 transfers. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. 2008;121(5):1725-1737.

Taghinia A, Pribaz J, Guo L. Chronic Deep Venous Thrombosis in the Peroneal Veins of the Fibula Osteocutaneous Flap: Strategies for Avoidance and Salvage. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. 2008;121(6).

Guo L, Pribaz J. Pre-expanded ultra-thin supraclavicular flaps for (full-) face reconstruction with reduced donor-site morbidity and without the need for microsurgery [discussion]. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery. 2005;115(7):1845-1847.

Pribaz J, Guo L. Prefabrication and prelamination in head and neck reconstruction. In: Wei F-C, Mardini S, editors. Flaps in Head and Neck Reconstruction. Seminar in Plastic Surgery. New York (NY): Thieme Medical Publishers;2004.

Meara JG, Guo L, Pribaz J, Breuing K, Orgill D. Vacuum assisted closure: treatment of degloving injuries. Annals of Plastic Surgery. 1999;42(6):589-594.

Fuchs E, Yang Y, Dowling J, Kouklis P, Smith E, Guo L, Yu Q-C. Intermediate filament linker proteins. In: Froehner SC, Bennet V, editors. Cytoskeletal Regulation of Membrane Function. General Physiologists Series (50th Annual Symposium); New York (NY): The Rockefeller University Press;1997. p. 141-148.

Guo L, Degenstein L, Fuchs E. Keratinocyte growth factor is required for hair development but not for wound healing. Genes & Development. 1996;10:165-175.

Guo L, Degenstein L, Dowling J, Yu Q-C, Wollmann R, Perman B, Fuchs E. Gene targeting of BPAG1: abnormalities in mechanical strength and cell migration in stratified epithelia and neurologic degeneration. Cell. 1995;81:223-243.

Guo L, Yu Q-C, Fuchs E. Epidermal expression of KGF causes remarkable changes in the skin of transgenic mice. In: Journal of Cellular Biochemistry; 1/17-24/1993; Hoboken (NJ): Wiley-Liss, Inc.;1993. p. 317.

Guo L, Yu Q-C, Fuchs E. Targeting expression of keratinocyte growth factor to keratinocytes elicits striking changes in epithelial differentiation in transgenic mice. The EMBO Journal. 1993;12(3):973-986.

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Lifei Guo
MD, PhD

PrincipaI Investigator
Laboratory of Tissue Regeneration

Clinical Profile & Contact Information

Research Interests

Wound Healing
Peripheral Nerve Regeneration