Megan L Killian, PhD
Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery
Associate Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology and Associate Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
2800 Plymouth Road
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Available to mentor

Megan L Killian, PhD
Associate Professor
  • About
  • Links
  • Qualifications
  • Center Memberships
  • Research Overview
  • Recent Publications
  • About

    I am an established investigator and expert in tendon and enthesis development, healing, and mechanobiology. I started my independent career as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in 2016 at the University of Delaware in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. In February 2020, I relocated my laboratory to Michigan Medicine at the University of Michigan where I am an Associate Professor with tenure in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and on the administrative team for the Michigan Integrative Musculoskeletal Health Center.

    Links
    Qualifications
    • Postdoctoral Fellow
      Washington University in St Louis, Orthopaedic Surgery, 2015
    • PhD
      Michigan Technological University, Houghton, 2010
    • MS
      Montana State University, Bozeman, 2007
    • BS
      Michigan Technological University, Houghton, 2005
    Center Memberships
    • Center Member
      Biosciences Initiative
    • Center Member
      Caswell Diabetes Institute
    • Center Member
      Center for Cell Plasticity and Organ Design
    • Center Member
      Samuel and Jean Frankel Cardiovascular Center
    Research Overview

    My research portfolio includes the development of pre-clinical and translational models to study the development, injury, and healing of the tendon enthesis. The work highlighted by published manuscripts, conference proceedings, and invited talks describes the breadth and depth of my expertise in tendon and enthesis development, mechano-adaptation, and healing. Additionally, this work includes new avenues or research studying the effects of FGF signaling, hypoxia, and HIF1 on progenitor cell behavior and extracellular matrix damage and deposition in the context of enthesis loading.

    My laboratory has pioneered the use of optogenetics for in vivo muscle contractility to study growth and remodeling of musculoskeletal tissues, specifically focused on tendon, enthesis, and bone. The core competencies of my lab include in vivo transgenic mouse lines (e.g., Cre-lox) and rodent injury models; biomechanical testing; histomorphometry; and advanced imaging (e.g., micro-computed tomography). My laboratory is supported by funding from the NIH, NSF, and the Michigan-Israel Partnership.

    Recent Publications See All Publications
    • Journal Article
      Paracrine signals influence patterns of fibrocartilage differentiation in a lyophilized gelatin hydrogel for applications in rotator cuff repair.
      Timmer KB, Killian ML, Harley BAC. Biomater Sci, 2024 Sep 10; 12 (18): 4806 - 4822. DOI:10.1039/d4bm00543k
      PMID: 39150417
    • Journal Article
      Engineered Microenvironmental Cues from Fiber-Reinforced Hydrogel Composites Drive Tenogenesis and Aligned Collagen Deposition.
      Kent RN, Jewett ME, Buck TP, Said M, Hold LA, Crawford EA, Killian ML, Abraham AC, Huang AH, Baker BM. Adv Healthc Mater, 2024 Jul; 13 (19): e2400529 DOI:10.1002/adhm.202400529
      PMID: 38441411
    • Journal Article
      Interfacial Tissue Regeneration with Bone.
      Steltzer SS, Abraham AC, Killian ML. Curr Osteoporos Rep, 2024 Apr; 22 (2): 290 - 298. DOI:10.1007/s11914-024-00859-1
      PMID: 38358401
    • Journal Article
      Loss of Fgfr1 and Fgfr2 in Scleraxis-lineage cells leads to enlarged bone eminences and attachment cell death.
      Wernlé KK, Sonnenfelt MA, Leek CC, Ganji E, Sullivan AL, Offutt C, Shuff J, Ornitz DM, Killian ML. Dev Dyn, 2023 Sep; 252 (9): 1180 - 1188. DOI:10.1002/dvdy.600
      PMID: 37212424
    • Journal Article
      Equitable hiring strategies towards a diversified faculty.
      Cosgriff-Hernandez EM, Aguado BA, Akpa B, Fleming GC, Moore E, Porras AM, Boyle PM, Chan DD, Chesler N, Christman KL, Desai TA, Harley BAC, Hudalla GA, Killian ML, Maisel K, Maitland KC, Peyton SR, Pruitt BL, Stabenfeldt SE, Stevens KR, Bowden AK. Nat Biomed Eng, 2023 Aug; 7 (8): 961 - 968. DOI:10.1038/s41551-023-01076-4
      PMID: 37580521
    • Journal Article
      Optogenetic-induced muscle loading leads to mechanical adaptation of the Achilles tendon enthesis in mice.
      Ganji E, Lamia SN, Stepanovich M, Whyte N, Goulet RW, Abraham AC, Killian ML. Sci Adv, 2023 Jun 23; 9 (25): eadf4683 DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adf4683
      PMID: 37352350
    • Journal Article
      Targeted deletion of Fgf9 in tendon disrupts mineralization of the developing enthesis.
      Ganji E, Leek C, Duncan W, Patra D, Ornitz DM, Killian ML. FASEB J, 2023 Mar; 37 (3): e22777 DOI:10.1096/fj.202201614R
      PMID: 36734881
    • Journal Article
      Physical and Soluble Cues Enhance Tendon Progenitor Cell Invasion into Injectable Synthetic Hydrogels.
      Kent RN, Said M, Busch ME, Poupard ER, Tsai A, Xia J, Matera DL, Wang WY, DePalma SJ, Hiraki HL, Killian ML, Abraham AC, Shin J-W, Huang AH, Shikanov A, Baker BM. Adv Funct Mater, 2022 Nov 24; 32 (48): 2207556 DOI:10.1002/adfm.202207556
      PMID: 39257859