University of Texas Southwestern
Levi Laboratory

Center for Organogenesis, Regeneration, and Trauma
Children’s Medical Center Research Institute
Benjamin Levi, MD

Close Collaborators at UTSW:
Sean J. Morrison, PhD

Research

Our NIH/DOD funded laboratory focuses primarily on the role of trauma on stem cell migration and differentiation. Specifically, we focus on bone healing both in the craniofacial and appendicular skeleton. Additionally, we focus on the process of heterotopic ossification after trauma. Heterotopic ossification (HO) leads to bone deposition in extra-skeletal sites severely restricting range of motion, limiting prosthetic use and causing chronic pain and wounds. HO occurs in over 20% of primary hip replacements, extremity traumas, amputations, large total body surface area burns, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries and pressure ulcers, and over 65% of repeat hip replacements and blast injuries. Our group focuses on early detection and prevention through targeted mechanism-based therapeutic approaches.

Selected Publications

1. Sorkin, M, Huber, AK, Hwang, C, Carson, WF 4th, Menon, R, Li, J, Vasquez, K, Pagani, C, Patel, N, Li, S, Visser, ND, Niknafs, Y, Loder, S, Scola, M, Nycz, D, Gallagher, K, McCauley, LK, Xu, J, James, AW, Agarwal, S, Kunkel, S, Mishina, Y, Levi, B. Regulation of heterotopic ossification by monocytes in a mouse model of aberrant wound healing. Nat Commun. 2020;11 (1):722. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-14172-4. PubMed PMID:32024825 PubMed Central PMC7002453.
2. Hwang, C, Marini, S, Huber, AK, Stepien, DM, Sorkin, M, Loder, S, Pagani, CA, Li, J, Visser, ND, Vasquez, K, Garada, MA, Li, S, Xu, J, Hsu, CY, Yu, PB, James, AW, Mishina, Y, Agarwal, S, Li, J, Levi, B. Mesenchymal VEGFA induces aberrant differentiation in heterotopic ossification. Bone Res. 2019;7 :36. doi: 10.1038/s41413-019-0075-6. PubMed PMID:31840004 PubMed Central PMC6904752.Agarwal, S, Loder, SJ, Cholok, D, Li, J, Bian, G, Yalavarthi, S, Li, S, Carson, WF, Hwang, C, Marini, S, Pagani, C, Edwards, N, Delano, MJ, Standiford, TJ, Knight, JS, Kunkel, SL, Mishina, Y, Ward, PA, Levi, B. Disruption of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs) Links Mechanical Strain to Post-traumatic Inflammation. Front Immunol. 2019;10 :2148. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02148. PubMed PMID:31708911 PubMed Central PMC6821718
3. Agarwal, S, Loder, S, Brownley, C, Cholok, D, Mangiavini, L, Li, J, Breuler, C, Sung, HH, Li, S, Ranganathan, K, Peterson, J, Tompkins, R, Herndon, D, Xiao, W, Jumlongras, D, Olsen, BR, Davis, TA, Mishina, Y, Schipani, E, Levi, B. Inhibition of Hif1α prevents both trauma-induced and genetic heterotopic ossification. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2016;113 (3):E338-47. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1515397113. PubMed PMID:26721400 PubMed Central PMC4725488.

Contact if interested: Benjamin.Levi@UTSouthwestern.edu

Research Scientist, Musculoskeletal Diseases job at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 

Postdoctoral Training Opportunities – Postdoctoral Scholars – UT Southwestern, Dallas, Texas