Tristan Maerz, PhD

 Tristan Maerz
Adjunct Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Medical School
Available to mentor
Tristan Maerz, PhD
Tristan Maerz
Adjunct Associate Professor
  • About
  • Center Memberships
  • Research Overview
  • Recent Publications

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    • About

    Tristan Maerz, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Biomedical Engineering. He completed his undergraduate studies in Biomedical Engineering at Lawrence Technological University, followed by his Master’s and doctoral training in Biomedical Engineering at Wayne State University. Prior to joining the Orthopaedic Surgery faculty at the University of Michigan, Dr. Maerz was a research engineer and the director of sports medicine research at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI and held an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery appointment at the Oakland University – William Beaumont School of Medicine. Dr. Maerz and his laboratory are part of the Orthopaedic Research Laboratories, an interdisciplinary faculty consortium within the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and he is interested in basic science, translational, and clinical research focused on sports medicine-related injuries and pathologies. Dr. Maerz is an active member of the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS) and Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI), which are his primary academic communities.

    Center Memberships
    • Center Member
      MM-PKUHSC Joint Institute

    Research Overview

    Dr. Maerz’ primary research area is the pathogenesis of post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA) following joint injury, with a specific focus on the synovium and injury-induced molecular mechanisms that modulate the onset of joint degeneration. The Maerz laboratory has a strong translational focus, and each major research platform aims to discover druggable targets to develop novel, disease-modifying treatments for PTOA.

    Given the expanding incidence of joint injury and the rapidly-growing burden of osteoarthritis and its associated musculoskeletal and non-musculoskeletal comorbidities, a critical need exists to alter the natural history of tissue degeneration following joint injury. To study the complex phenotype of PTOA, the Maerz lab employs multi-faceted assessments to discern in vivo molecular processes, gene and protein expression and content, pain sensitization, pathologic tissue remodeling, and cellular composition. A strong focus is placed on quantitative assessments of PTOA disease severity to minimize or eliminate subjective interpretation, and quantitative imaging is used heavily to strengthen the joint phenotyping approaches. The Maerz lab also employs multiple genetically-modified mouse models to dissect the molecular mechanisms of osteoarthritis.

    The mission of the Maerz lab is to foster an environment in which innovative, multidisciplinary science can be conducted. Collegiality and collaboration are top priorities, recognizing that rigorous team science will be necessary to develop a successful treatment for PTOA.

    Recent Publications

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    • Journal Article
      Advanced tissue clearing and three-dimensional imaging approaches to visualize neural innervation in the rat knee joints
      Socorro M, Gaire J, Rolim de Lavor J, Cruz-Almeida Y, Caudle RM, Smith R, Watkins SC, Allen KD, Younis J, Yan J, Wythe JD, Worley KC, Wang L, Wagenaar JB, Vivanco-Estela A, Tovias L, Tappan S, Tantry EK, Swahn H, Strinden M, Stover J, Southern KM, Smith SB, Ruiz OE, Ronan EA, de Lavor JR, Roberts A, Dasilva MCR, Ren D, Ray RS, Prieto H, Price TJ, Perry S, Pela M, Patterson F, Otto KJ, Otero M, Orange DE, Olmer M, Obeidat AM, Newton MD, Miller RE, Miller RJ, Mehta B, Martone ME, Malfait AM, Majano CF, Maerz T, Macpherson LJ, Lotz MK, Li J, Leynes C, Levites Y, Lee B, Lai Z, Kulkarni P, Ko FC, Jin Z, Jayachandran S, Ishola AO, Ishihara S, Iadarola MJ, Haelterman NA, Greene S, Goolsby B, Gandhi A, Fullam S, Freburg-Hoffmeister D, Ernberg M, Emrick JJ, Dou Z, Donnelly C, Dolwick MF, Cortez I, Constantinescu B, Chen R, Chen Y, Cela R, Carpio DL, Cai D, Boline J, Boccanfuso J, Boada MD, Bandrowski A, de Paula BB, Bae Y, Arenkiel B, Akopian AN, Watson AM, Almarza AJ. Npj Imaging, 2026 Dec 1; 4 (1): DOI:10.1038/s44303-026-00167-6
    • Journal Article
      Inhibition of CDK8 rescues impaired ischemic fracture healing
      Capobianco CA, Song MJ, Farrell EC, Knights AJ, Kessell K, Donneys A, Schmanski JT, Schroeder LR, Chen M, Roninson IB, Wagley Y, Maerz T, Hankenson KD. Npj Regenerative Medicine, 2026 Dec 1; 11 (1): DOI:10.1038/s41536-026-00456-z
    • Journal Article
      Masticatory myalgia to headache-like secondary hypersensitivity induces gene plasticity at dura mater
      Hovhannisyan AH, Alfaro J, Aldape J, Mecklenburg JM, Zou Y, Lai Z, Guo W, Yang J, Boada MD, Ernberg M, Ren K, Yan J, Wythe J, Worley K, Wang L, Wang E, Wagenaar J, Vivanco-Estela A, Tumanov A, Sanchez LT, Tappan S, Swahn H, Strinden M, Stover J, Southern K, Gonzalez MS, Smith S, Ruiz O, Ronan E, Roberts A, Dasilva MR, Ren D, Ray R, Prieto H, Priester S, Price T, Perry S, Pela M, Patterson F, Otto K, Otero M, Orange D, Olmer M, Obeidat A, Newton M, Muhammad A, Miller R, Miller R, Mehta B, Martone M, Malfait AM, Majano C, Maerz T, Macpherson L, Lotz M, Li J, Levites Y, Lee B, Kulkarni P, Ko F, Jin Z, Jin Y, Jayachandran S, Ishola A, Ishihara S, Iadarola M, Haelterman N, Greene S, Goolsby B, Gandhi A, Gaire J, Fullam S, Freburg-Hoffmeister D, Emrick J, Dou Z, Donnelly C, Dolwick MF, Cruz-Almeida Y, Cortez I, Constantinescu B, Chen Y, Chen R, Cela R, Caudle R, Cai D, Carpio DL, Boline J, Boccanfuso J, Boada MD, Bandrowski A, Paula BBD, Bae Y, Ayaz B, Arenkiel B, Almarza A, Allen K, Akopian AN. Journal of Headache and Pain, 2026 Dec 1; 27 (1): DOI:10.1186/s10194-026-02361-8
      PMID: 41987013
    • Journal Article
      Thrombospondin 1 and 2 regulate mesenchymal progenitor cell fate and matrix organization
      Hunter MK, Korlakunta S, Vishlaghi N, Mittal M, Cragg K, Juan C, Pagani CA, Sun Y, Lammlin L, Kessell K, Feist D, Choi JH, Hsieh ML, Saikia J, Duvall CL, Kang H, Alford AI, Hankenson KD, Tower RJ, Maerz T, Levi B. Bone Research, 2026 Dec 1; 14 (1): DOI:10.1038/s41413-025-00493-2
    • Journal Article
      Publisher's Note to “Cross-platform transcriptomic data integration identifies an overactive neuro-immune signature in human osteoarthritis synovium” [Osteoarthr. Cartil. 34 (2026)]
      Newton MD, Swahn H, Orange DE, Lesnak JB, Price TJ, Malfait AM, Miller RE, Lotz MK, Maerz T. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 2026 Apr 1; 34 (4): 503 DOI:10.1016/j.joca.2026.03.119
    • Journal Article
      CRISPR Epigenome Editing of IL1R1 Expression of Neurons that Innervate the Temporomandibular Joint or Knee Causes Reduced Sensitization to Osteoarthritic Environment
      Stover JD, Bowles RD, Cruz-Almeida Y, Caudle RM, Allen KD, Younis J, Yan J, Wythe J, Worley K, Wang L, Wagenaar J, Vivanco-Estela A, Sanchez LT, Tappan S, Tantry E, Swahn H, Strinden M, Stover J, Southern K, Socorro M, Smith S, Ruiz O, Ronan E, deLavor JR, Roberts A, Dasilva MR, Ren D, Ray R, Prieto H, Price T, Perry S, Pela M, Patterson F, Otto K, Otero M, Orange D, Olmer M, Obeidat A, Newton M, Miller R, Miller R, Mehta B, Martone M, Malfait AM, Majano C, Maerz T, Macpherson L, Lotz M, Li J, Leynes C, Levites Y, Lee B, Lai Z, Kulkarni P, Ko F, Jin Z, Jayachandran S, Ishola A, Ishihara S, Iadarola M, Haelterman N, Greene S, Goolsby B, Gandhi A, Gaire J, Fullam S, Freburg-Hoffmeister D, Ernberg M, Emrick J, Dou Z, Donnelly C, Franklin Dolwick M, Ibdanelo , Cortez , Constantinescu B, Chen R, Chen Y, Cela R, Caudle R, Lane D, Carpio , Cai D, Boline J, Boccanfuso J, Boada MD, Bandrowski A, de Paula BB, Bae Y, Ayaz B, Arenkiel B, Akopian A, Almarza AJ. Annals of Biomedical Engineering, 2026 Jan 1; DOI:10.1007/s10439-026-04047-3
      PMID: 41949727
    • Journal Article
      Nerve Growth Factor is Sufficient to Cause Multiple Osteoarthritis-Relevant Pathologic Features in Naïve Murine Knee Joints
      Obeidat AM, Newton MD, Li J, Hu B, Ishihara S, Lammlin L, Junginger LM, Farrell EC, Wang L, Ko FC, Miller RJ, Scanzello CR, Maerz T, Miller RE, Malfait AM. Arthritis and Rheumatology, 2026 Jan 1; DOI:10.1002/art.70168
      PMID: 41940477
    • Journal Article
      Synovial fibroblast responses to different types of injury resulting in cartilage repair or osteoarthritis
      Collins FL, Knights AJ, Maerz T, Roelofs AJ, De Bari C. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 2026 Jan 1; DOI:10.1016/j.joca.2025.12.023
      PMID: 41490604