Dr. Imler addresses issues related to the biomechanics of human injury, with expertise in the areas of human tolerance, occupant kinematics, and rigid body dynamics. Her work includes analysis of injuries associated with passenger vehicles, industrial trucks, industrial equipment, and consumer products. Her research activities have included studies in soft tissue biomechanics, particularly fibrocartilage and articular cartilage and the biosynthetic effects of external mechanical stimuli, including injurious as well as physiologically normal loading on orthopaedic soft tissues. She has technical experience in design and development of devices to implement external mechanical stimuli, as well as experience in mechanical testing, tissue engineering, and biological assays.
Prior to joining Exponent, Dr. Imler was a Graduate Research Assistant at the Soft Tissue Biomechanics Laboratory at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia.
Mouw JK, Imler SM, Levenston ME. Ion-channel regulation of chondrocyte matrix synthesis in 3D culture under static and dynamic compression. Biomech Model Mechanobiol 2007; 6(1-2):33–41.
Imler SM. In vitro modulation of meniscus biosynthesis: A basis for understanding cellular response to physiologically relevant stimuli. Doctoral Dissertation, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2005.
Vanderploeg EJ, Imler SM, Brodkin KR, García AJ, Levenston ME. Oscillatory tension differentially modulates matrix metabolism and cytoskeletal organization in chondrocytes and fibrochondrocytes. J Biomech 2004; 37(12):1941–1952.
Imler SM, Doshi AN, Levenston ME. Combined effects of growth factors and static mechanical compression on meniscus explant biosynthesis. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2004; 12(9):736–744.
Hunter CJ, Imler SM, Malaviya P, Nerem RM, Levenston ME. Mechanical compression alters gene expression and extracellular matrix synthesis by chondrocytes cultured in collagen I gels. Biomaterials 2002; 23(4):1249–1259.
Presentations and Published Abstracts
Imler SM, Levenston ME. Biosynthetic differences in chondrocyte and fibrocondrocyte behavior in agarose. Transactions of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2006; 31:1045.
Imler SM, Vanderploeg EJ, Levenston ME. Differential behavior of fibrochondrocytes from distinct regions of the meniscus. Transactions of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2005; 30:1497.
Imler SM, Wilson CG, Levenston ME. IL-1 induces rapid loss of matrix constituents and material properties from meniscal fibrocartilage. Transactions of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2005; 30:1705.
Mouw JK, Connelly JT, Imler SM, Levenston ME. TGF- β1 and dynamic compression influence the chondrogenesis of bovine bone marrow stromal cells. Transactions of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2005; 30:0095.
Mouw JK, Imler SM, Levenston ME. Influence of ion channel inhibitors on the chondrocyte response to cyclic compression. Transactions of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2004; 29:0817.
Imler SM, Doshi AN, Levenston ME. Effects of anabolic cytokines and static compression on meniscus tissue explants. Transactions of the ASME 2003 Summer Bioengineering Conference 2003:535–536.
Mouw JK, Imler SM, Levenston ME. Ion-channel dependent regulation of chondrocyte matrix synthesis in 3D culture under dynamic and static compression. Transactions of the ASME 2003 Summer Bioengineering Conference 2003; 191–192.
Vanderploeg EJ, Imler SM, Brodkin KR, García AJ, Levenston ME. Oscillatory tension induces cytoskeletal reorganization in chondrocytes. Transactions of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2003; 28:0039.
Imler SM, Vanderploeg EJ, Hunter CJ, Levenston ME. IGF-1 stimulation of meniscal biosynthesis. Transactions of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2002; 27:0366.
Imler SM, Hunter CJ, Vanderploeg EJ, Levenston ME. Matrix biosynthesis due to exogenous stimuli differs for cartilage and fibrocartilage. Proceedings, World Congress of Biomechanics, 2002.
Vanderploeg EJ, Imler SM, Brodkin KR, Levenston ME. Chondrocytes and fibrochondrocytes respond differently to oscillatory tension. Proceedings, World Congress of Biomechanics, 2002.
Imler SM, Hunter CJ, Levenston ME. Cyropreservation does not impair chondrocyte response to growth factor stimuli. Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Fall Meeting, 2001.
Imler SM, Levenston ME. IGF-1 stimulated production of matrix components in meniscal explants. Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Fall Meeting, 2001.
Vanderploeg EJ, Imler SM, Hunter CJ, Levenston ME. Oscillatory tension modulated chondrocyte proliferation, biosynthesis and morphology. Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Fall Meeting, 2001.
Imler SM, Vanderploeg EJ, Hunter CJ, Levenston ME. Static and oscillatory compression modulate protein and proteoglycan synthesis by meniscal fibrochondrocytes. Transactions of the Orthopaedic Research Society 2001; 26:0552.
Imler SM, Vanderploeg EJ, Hunter CJ, Levenston ME. Mechanical compression modulates matrix synthesis in meniscal tissue and gels. Tissue Engineering 2000; 6(6):O-181.