Blake J Roessler, M.D.
Faculty Appointment:	Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
Additional Titles:	Associate Professor of Pharmaceutics Director, Human Applications Laboratory Director, Vector Core Director, Center for Gene Therapy
Specialty:	Rheumatology
Clinical Interests:	Experimental gene therapy.
Research Interests:	Dr. Roessler has a broad-based research program that is exploring many facets of chondrocyte biology. One research project focuses on defining the patterns of gene expression in articular chondrocytes as a function of age and articular injury. The goal of this project is to identify molecular mechanisms associated with early osteoarthritis that may be targets for drug discovery. The project will also attempt to identify OA susceptibility gene candidates in canine pedigrees with a high incidence of spontaneous OA. In a correlate study Dr. Roessler and collaborators are exploring the use of Raman spectroscopy to identify early structural changes in extracellular matrix components of cartilage that may function as OA biomarkers. A second project is exploring the role of intra-articular adipocytes (fat cells) on chondrocyte biology and extracellular matrix structure. Dr. Roessler also has a long-standing interest in development of model systems and clinical applications of gene therapy, and is currently studying mechanisms of vector-host cell interactions.
Degree:	M.D., 1983, University of Cincinnati
Certifications:	1986, Internal Medicine 2002, Rheumatology
Faculty Appointment Date:	11/1/1990
Academic office address	Medical Science Research Building II 1150 West Medical Center Drive Room 3560 Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5688
Academic office telephone:	(734)763-7949
Academic office FAX:	(734)764-3596