Education
Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
NIH Postdoctoral Fellow, Ophthalmology Research
Brandeis University
Postdoctoral Fellow, Biochemistry
Case Western Reserve University
Ph.D., Chemistry
Publications
Journal Articles
2015-present
- Iaconisi, G.N., Ahmed, A., Lauria, G., Gallo, N., Fiermonte, G., Cowman, M.K., Capobianco, L., and Dolce, V. (2024) “Targeting Mitochondria in Cancer Therapy: Machine Learning Analysis of Hyaluronic Acid-Based Drug Delivery Systems” Int. J. Biol. Macromol. 283, 137840. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.137840
- Erkanli, M.E., Kang, T.K., Kirsch, T., Turley, E.A., Kim, J.R., and Cowman, M.K. (2024) “The spatial separation of basic amino acids is similar in RHAMM and hyaluronan binding peptide P15-1 despite different sequences and conformations” Proteoglycan Res. 2, e70001. https://doi.org/10.1002/pgr2.70001
- Bianchini, E. Sin, Y.J.A., Lee, Y.J., Lin, C., Anil, U., Hamill, C., Cowman, M.K., Kirsch, T. (2024) “The Role of Hyaluronan/RHAMM Interactions in the Modulation of Macrophage Polarization and Cartilage Repair” Am.J.Pathology 194, 1047-1061. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajpath.2024.01.020
- Cowman, M.K. and Turley, E.A. (2023) “Functional Organization of Extracellular Hyaluronan, CD44 and RHAMM” Proteoglycan Res. 1, e4. https://doi.org/10.1002/pgr2.4
- Sin, Y.J.A., MacLeod, R., Tanguay, A.P., Wang, A. Braender-Carr, O., Vitelli, T.M., Jay, G.D., Schmidt, T.A., and Cowman, M.K. (2022) "Noncovalent Hyaluronan Crosslinking by TSG-6: Modulation by Heparin, Heparan Sulfate, and PRG4" Front. Mol. Biosci. 9:990861. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmolb.2022.990861
- MacLeod, R., Chan, F.V., Yuan, H., Ye, X., Vitelli, T.M., Cucu, T., Leung, A., Baljak, I., Osinski, S., Fu, Y., Jung, G.I.D., Amar, A., Sin, Y.J.A., DeAngelis, P.L., Hellman, U. and Cowman, M.K. (2022). "Selective Isolation of Hyaluronan by Solid Phase Adsorption to Silica" Anal. Biochem. 652, 114769. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ab.2022.114769
- Stecco, A., Cowman, M., Pirri, N., Raghavan, P., Pirri, C. (2022). "Densification: hyaluronan aggregation in different human organs" Bioengineering 9, 159. https://doi.org/10.3390/bioengineering9040159
- Rivas, F., Erxleben, D., Smith, I., Rahbar, E., DeAngelis, P.L., Cowman, M.K. and Hall, A.R. (2022) Methods for Isolating and Analyzing Physiological Hyaluronan: A Review, Am. J. Physiol. Cell Physiol. 322(4):C674-C687. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpcell.00019.2022
- Ruiz, A., Duarte, A., Bravo, D., Ramos, E., Zhang, C., Cowman, M.K., Kirsch, T., Milne, M., Luyt, L.G., Raya, J.G. (2022) “In vivo multimodal imaging of hyaluronan-mediated inflammatory response in articular cartilage” Osteoarthritis and Cartilage 30, 329-340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2021.11.006
- Hemed-Shaked, M., Cowman, M.K., Kim, J.R., Huang, X., Chau, E., Ovadia, H., Amar, K., Eshkar-Sebban, L., Melamed, M., Bar Lev, L., Kedar, E., Armengol, J., Alemany, J., Beyth, S., Okon, E., Kanduc, D., Elgavish, S., Wallach-Dayan, S.B., Jaffe Cohen, S., and Naor, D. (2021) "MTADV 5-MER peptide suppresses chronic inflammations as well as autoimmune pathologies and unveils a new potential target- Serum Amyloid A" J. Autoimmunity 124, 102713. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaut.2021.102713
- Kirsch, T., Zhang, F., Braender-Carr, O., Cowman, M.K. (2021) “Protective Effects of a Hyaluronan-binding Peptide (P15-1) on Mesenchymal Stem Cells in an Inflammatory Environment” Int. J. Molec. Sci. 22, 7058. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22137058
- Shortt, C., Luyt, L.G., Turley, E.A., Cowman, M.K., and Kirsch, T. (2020) “A Hyaluronan-Binding Peptide (P15-1) Reduces Inflammatory and Catabolic Events in IL-1β-Treated Human Articular Chondrocytes” Scientific Reports Jan 29;10(1):1441. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-57586-7
- Liu, X., Shortt, C., Zhang, F., Bater, M.Q., Cowman, M.K. and Kirsch, T. (2020) “Extracellular Vesicles Released from Articular Chondrocytes Play a Major Role in Cell-Cell Communication” J. Orthop. Res. 38, 731-739. https://doi.org/10.1002/jor.24525
- Cowman, M.K., Shortt, C., Arora, S., Fu, Y., Villavieja, J., Rathore, J., Huang, X., Rakshit, T., Jung, G.I., and Kirsch, T. (2019) Role of Hyaluronan in Inflammatory Effects on Human Articular Chondrocytes” Inflammation, 42, 1808-1820. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10753-019-01043-9
- Tolg, C., Cowman, M. and Turley, E.A. (2018) "Mouse Mammary Gland Whole Mount Preparation and Analysis" Bio-protocol 8, e2915. https://doi.org/10.21769/BioProtoc.2915
- Tolg, C., Cowman, M.K., Turley, E.A. (2018) “HA Isolation from Mammary Gland” Bio-protocol 8, e2865. https://doi.org/10.21769/BioProtoc.2865
- Park, D.S.J., Regmi, S.C., Svystonyuk, D.A., Teng, G., Belke, D., Turnbull, J., Guzzardi, D.G., Kang, S., Cowman, M.K., Schmidt, T.A., Fedak, P.W.M. (2018) "Human Pericardial Proteoglycan 4 (Lubricin): Implications for Post-Cardiotomy Intrathoracic Adhesion Formation" J. Thorac Cardiovasc Surgery 156, 1598-1608. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtcvs.2018.03.170
- Huang, X., Schmidt, T.A., Shortt, C., Arora, S., Asari, A., Kirsch, T., and Cowman, M.K. (2018) "A Competitive AlphaScreen Assay for Detection of Hyaluronan" Glycobiology 28, 137-147. https://doi.org/10.1093/glycob/cwx109
- Tolg, C., Yuan, H., Flynn, S.M., Basu, K., Ma, J., Tse, K.C.K., Kowalska, B., Vulkanesku, D., Cowman, M.K., McCarthy, J.B., Turley, E.A. (2017) “Hyaluronan Modulates Growth Factor Induced Mammary Gland Branching in a Size Dependent Manner” Matrix Biology 63, 117-132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matbio.2017.02.003
- Cowman, M.K. (2017) "Mutual Macromolecular Crowding as the Basis for Polymer Solution Non-ideality" Polym Adv Technol 28, 1000-1004. https://doi.org/10.1002/pat.3950
- Cowman, M.K., Schmidt, T.A., Raghavan, P., and Stecco, A. (2015) “Viscoelastic Properties of Hyaluronan in Physiological Conditions” F1000Research 2015, 4:622. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.6885.1
- Schwertfeger, K.L., Cowman, M.K., Telmer, P., Turley, E.A., and McCarthy, J.B. (2015) "Hyaluronan, Inflammation and Breast Cancer Progression," Frontiers in Immunology 6:236. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2015.00236
- Cowman, M.K., Lee, H-G., Schwertfeger, K.L., McCarthy, J.B., and Turley, E.A. (2015) "The Content and Size of Hyaluronan in Biological Fluids and Tissues", Frontiers in Immunology 6:261. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2015.00261
- Yuan, H., Amin, R., Ye, X., de la Motte, C.A., and Cowman, M.K. (2015) "Determination of Hyaluronan Molecular Mass Distribution in Human Breast Milk" Anal. Biochem. 474, 78-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ab.2014.12.020
Book Chapters
2015 - present
- Raghavan, P., Stecco, A., Menon, R., Cowman, M.K., Regatte, R. (2022) "Mechanisms of Development of Passive Mechanical Muscle Stiffness " in Spasticity and Muscle Stiffness: Restoring Form and Function, Raghavan, P., ed., Springer Nature Switzerland AG, pp. 81-105. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-96900-4_6
- Cowman, M.K. (2019) “Methods for Hyaluronan Molecular Mass Determination by Agarose Gel Electrophoresis” in Vigetti, D. and Theocharis, A., eds. The Extracellular Matrix: Methods and Protocols, Methods in Molecular Biology, Vol. 1952, Springer Science + Business Media, New York, pp 91-102. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9133-4_8
- Cowman, M.K. (2017) “Hyaluronan and Hyaluronan Fragments”, in Advances in Carbohydrate Chemistry and Biochemistry, D.C. Baker, ed., Elsevier/Academic Press, Burlington, Vol. 74, pp 1-59. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.accb.2017.10.001
Affiliations
- Founding Chair, Biomedical Engineering Department, 2019-2020
- Director, Biomatrix Research Center, 2015-2016
- Visiting Professor, Biomedical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, 2014-2019
- Associate Dean for Bioengineering, 2013-2019
- Associate Provost for Programs, Planning, and Development, 2011-2013
- Director-at Large, New York Section, American Chemical Society, 2007-2008
- Director, Westchester subsection, American Chemical Society, 2006-2010
- Director, Othmer Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies, 2006-2008
- Department Head, Chemistry, 1993-1995
- Member of International Society for Hyaluronan Sciences, American Chemical Society, Biophysical Society, Society for Glycobiology, American Society for Matrix Biology, Orthopaedic Research Society, American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists, New York Academy of Sciences.
- Scientific Program and Planning Committees: "Hyaluronan 2000", "MMC-9" (Macromolecule-Metal Complexes 2001), "Hyaluronan 2003", “Hyaluronan 2007”, "Hyaluronan 2013", "Hyaluronan 2015", Hyaluronan 2017, "Hyaluronan 2019".
Awards
- Founding Member, Treasurer (2004-2008), Secretary (2009-2013), Trustee (2014-2015, President-Elect (2015), President (2016-2019), International Society for Hyaluronan Sciences, 2004-present
- Distinguished Scientist Award, Westchester Chemical Society, 2007
- Distinguished Teacher Award, Polytechnic University, 2006
Patents
Biocompatible materials containing stable complexes of TSG-6 and hyaluronan and method of using same, (US Patent No. 8,093,365. Issued January 10, 2012.)
Biocompatible materials containing stable complexes of TSG-6 and hyaluronan and method of using same, (US Patent 8,420,601 (divisional). Issued April 16, 2013)
Nanocomposite Hyaluronic Acid-Clay Based Hydrogels., (US Patent 8,367,117. Issued February 5, 2013.)
Compositions and Methods for Cartilage Defect Repair using a RHAMM - Mimetic Pepide, (US Patent 10, 449, 229. Issued October 22, 2019)
Method for separating hyaluronan and quantifying its molecular mass distribution in biological samples. US Patent 10,723,812. Issued July 28, 2020
Research News
Biomedical engineers show potential of new peptide for fighting Alzheimer’s disease and COVID-19
NYU Tandon professors Mary Cowman and Jin Ryoun Kim recently published a paper describing a novel peptide with broad therapeutic potential to combat chronic inflammation in multiple diseases. The peptide, called Amilo 5-MER, was discovered by Professor David Naor and his colleague Dr. Shmuel Jaffe Cohen in the Faculty of Medicine at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. They showed that Amilo 5-MER has anti-inflammatory effects that reduce pathological and clinical symptoms in mouse models for rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and multiple sclerosis.
Based on Naor's finding that the peptide binds to several proteins associated with inflammation, including Serum Amyloid A (SAA), Cowman and Kim proposed a working mechanism for the peptide. In a collaboration between the Israeli and Tandon teams they were able to show that the peptide inhibits aggregation of SAA into more pro-inflammatory and pro-amyloidogenic forms. Amyloid-type aggregation of proteins is associated with many diseases, and the Amilo 5-MER peptide has been found to bind to other aggregating proteins that play key roles in chronic inflammations and neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, the peptide could have significant therapeutic value in many other pathological conditions, such as Alzheimer's Disease, AA amyloidosis, and even COVID-19.
The project was supported by the Ines Mandl Research Foundation (IMRF), which is dedicated to providing research funding in the fight against connective tissue disease. It is the legacy of Dr. Ines Mandl, who was the first woman to graduate from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (today’s NYU Tandon School of Engineering) with a Ph.D. in chemistry in 1949.
