The TARAFDER Lab is excited to announce that Ph.D. student Hasan Rafsan Jani was awarded 1st Prize in the Graduate Student Poster Competition at the 3rd Annual Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity Day (GRSCAD) held on April 16, 2025, at South Dakota State University.
Hasan’s winning poster, titled “A Self-Sealing Patch Graft for Articular Cartilage Defect Repair,” presents a promising strategy for addressing a critical challenge in orthopedic medicine: effective, long-lasting treatment for articular cartilage injuries.
Articular cartilage, the smooth white tissue that covers the ends of bones in joints, enables frictionless movement and shock absorption. Due to its avascular nature, it has limited capacity for self-repair after injury. Every year, nearly 900,000 Americans suffer from articular cartilage injuries, with many progressing to osteoarthritis and approximately 200,000 requiring surgical intervention.
Current treatments—including microfracture surgery, osteochondral grafts, and autologous chondrocyte implantation—are often invasive, inconsistent, and lead to suboptimal fibrocartilage formation. Many patients experience only temporary relief, high revision rates, and lengthy recovery times.
To address these limitations, Hasan’s research aims to develop a cell-free, single-stage, “off-the-shelf” regenerative patch graft that does not require suturing. The proposed solution utilizes a self-sealing scaffold designed to stably anchor itself into the defect site using a bioadhesive developed in TARAFDER Lab. This approach seeks to offer a cost-effective, minimally invasive, and biologically integrated alternative that promotes consistent regeneration of hyaline-like cartilage.
In addition to his first-place win, Hasan was also awarded the Graduate Professional Academy certificate, recognizing his continued dedication to academic excellence and professional development.
This award is a well-deserved recognition of Hasan’s hard work, creativity, and commitment to solving real-world clinical problems. We are incredibly proud of his achievement.
The TARAFDER Lab congratulates Hasan on this important milestone and looks forward to the continued progress of this impactful research.
