Dr. Jonathan Layne is a postdoctoral scholar and an aspiring physician-scientist focused on regenerative musculoskeletal medicine and pain mitigation. His work bridges basic and translational science, with a particular emphasis on fracture healing, innovative drug delivery systems, and the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance tissue regeneration and reduce pain. He is particularly interested in the intersection of advanced imaging modalities, AI/ML, and targeted, minimally-invasive drug delivery to accelerate healing and mitigate pain.

During his medical training at the University of Colorado, Dr. Layne honed his clinical research skills, contributing to studies on topics ranging from orthopedic infection treatment to rare hand pathologies. He developed a strong foundation in clinical research methodologies, including retrospective chart reviews and data analysis. His commitment to community service was recognized with the CU Anschutz Excellence Award for Outstanding Community Service (2019) and the CU SOM Rural Track Scholarship (2019), reflecting his dedication to rural health and medically underserved populations. He was also awarded the CU SOM Leadership & Merit Scholarship (2022) for demonstrated leadership and merit throughout his medical education.

Driven by a desire to deepen his understanding of the science underpinning his clinical observations, Dr. Layne pursued postdoctoral research at the Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail, CO (https://www.sprivail.org/directory-search/jonny-layne). Working within a vast network of mentors, he gained expertise in basic and translational research under the primary mentorship of Drs. Bahney and Anderson, while also contributing to projects under the guidance of SPRI's CSO, Dr. Johnny Huard, and several of Steadman's orthopedic surgeons, including Drs. Philippon, Provencher, and Viola. Their collective professional mentorship has been critical for his career growth and exploration. He immersed himself in stem cell culture, immunoassays, peri-operative animal handling, tissue embedding, and histology. His efforts have contributed to multiple peer-reviewed publications.

Currently at UCSF, Dr. Layne is continuing his research in regenerative musculoskeletal medicine under the guidance of Dr. Chelsea Bahney at the Bahney Regenerative Therapeutics Laboratory (https://bahneylab.ucsf.edu/) and Dr. Ralph Marcucio (https://orthosurgery.ucsf.edu/research/faculty/ralph-marcucio). He is leading a new area of research within the Bahney Lab focused on novel therapeutic targets for fracture healing and fracture pain mechanisms. This innovative work utilizes novel imaging tools for behavioral phenotyping in conjunction with evaluating the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying fracture pain. By leveraging the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning, Jonathan and his team aim to quantify biomechanical changes in movement and identify key pathways that contribute to acute and/or chronic pain states following fracture. The ultimate goal is to understand how regenerative treatments may decrease pain by accelerating healing and, conversely, to discover strategies to mitigate pain without negatively impacting bone repair. This research involves a collaboration with pain experts Dr. Jarret Weinrich (https://profiles.ucsf.edu/jarret.weinrich) in the Department of Anesthesia and Allan Basbaum (https://bms.ucsf.edu/people/allan-basbaum-phd) in Anatomy and Physiology.

Peer-Reviewed Publications:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Jonathan+Layne&sort=date

Awards and Recognition:

• Core Center for Musculoskeletal Biology and Medicine Travel Grant (2024)
• All-American, D1A Collegiate Rugby (2018)
• Brigham Young University Scholarship (2012-2013, 2015-2018)
• National Champion, Collegiate Rugby (2013)
• Runner-Up, Collegiate Rugby National Championship (2016)