Dartmouth Engineering

Overview

Professor Hixon's research focuses on tissue engineering/regenerative medicine strategies to improve treatment and facilitate healing in patients with congenital and traumatic craniofacial anomalies, as well as those with delayed or failed musculoskeletal healing. Prior to joining the Dartmouth faculty, Hixon earned a PhD in biomedical engineering at Saint Louis University. Her research broadly included tissue engineering scaffold fabrication for the treatment of critical-size defects and craniofacial/maxillofacial congenital conditions. Following this, she completed a postdoctoral position in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. Here she was awarded the NIH F32 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award to study bone healing following fracture and develop a clinically relevant animal model to test therapeutic interventions. Hixon's work will continue to contribute cutting-edge research utilizing orthopaedic and craniofacial models to drive the development of novel tissue engineering/regenerative medicine therapies, impacting dental, oral, craniofacial, and musculoskeletal health.

Research Interests

Tissue engineering; regenerative medicine; biomaterials and scaffolds; craniofacial reconstruction; orthopaedics; critical-size defects; fracture healing

Education

BS, Biomedical Engineering, University of Iowa 2014
PhD, Biomedical Engineering, Saint Louis University 2018

Awards

F32 Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA), 2019–2021
Rising Star in Engineering in Health (Columbia University), 2020
Society of Women Engineers (SWE) St. Louis Service Award, 2018
Graduate Dissertation Fellow (Saint Louis University), 2017–2018
Brennan Summer Fellow (Saint Louis University), 2017
Outstanding Graduate Student Award (Saint Louis University), 2016

Professional Activities

Chair, Education Initiatives Committee, International Section of Fracture Repair (ISFR), ORS (2022-present)
Special Issue Guest Editor, Open Access Journal Gels ("Cryogel Scaffolds") (2022)
Member, Education Initiatives Committee, International Section of Fracture Repair (ISFR), ORS (2019–present)
Member, American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR)
Member, Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES)
Member, Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS)
Member, Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Selected Publications

Hixon, KR, and AN Miller. "Animal Models of Impaired Long Bone Healing and Tissue Engineering‐ and Cell‐based in Vivo Interventions." Journal of Orthopaedic Research. 40.4 (2022): 767–778.
Hixon, KR et al. "Ablation of Proliferating Osteoblast Lineage Cells After Fracture Leads to Atrophic Nonunion in a Mouse Model." Journal of Bone and Mineral Research : JBMR. 36.11 (2021): 2243–2257.
Hixon KR, Bogner, SJ*, Ronning-Arnesen, G*, Janowiak Mulligan BE, Sell SA. Investigating Manuka Honey Antibacterial Properties When Incorporated into Cryogel, Hydrogel, and Electrospun Tissue Engineering Scaffolds." Gels: Cryogelation and Cryogels (2019) 5(2): 21. Invited Contribution. PMID: 31003516. (* indicates authors contributed equally)
Hixon KR, Lu T, Carletta MN, McBride‐Gagyi SH, Janowiak BE, Sell SA. A preliminary in vitro evaluation of the bioactive potential of cryogel scaffolds incorporated with Manuka honey for the treatment of chronic bone infections. J Biomed Mater Res Part B (2018) 106B:1918–1933. PMID: 28960886
Alarcon De La Lastra A, Hixon KR, Aryan LM, Banks AN, Hall AF, Sell SA. Dissolvable 3D-Printed Molds for Patient Specific Craniofacial Bone Regeneration. J Funct Biomater (2018) 9(3): 46. PMID: 30042357
Haas G, Dunn A, Marcinczyk M, Talovic M, Schwartz M, Scheidt R, Patel A, Hixon KR, Elmashhady H, McBride-Gagyi SH, Sell SA, Garg K. Biomimetic Sponges for regeneration of skeletal muscle following trauma. J Biomed Mater Res A (2018) 107(1): 92-103. PMID: 30394640
Hixon KR, Melvin A, Lin AY, Hall AF, Sell SA. Cryogel Scaffolds from Patient-Specific 3D-Printed Molds for Personalized Tissue Engineered Bone Regeneration in Pediatric Cleft-Craniofacial Defects. J Biomater Appl (2017) 32(5):598-611. PMID: 28980856
Hixon KR, Lu T, McBride-Gagyi SH, Janowiak BE, Sell SA. A Comparison of Tissue Engineering Scaffolds Incorporated with Manuka Honey of Varying UMF. Biomed Res Int (2017). PMID: 28326322
Hixon KR, Lu T, Sell SA. A Comprehensive Review of Cryogels and Their Roles in Tissue Engineering Applications. Acta Biomater (2017) 62(Supplement C): 29-41. PMID: 28851666
Hixon KR, Eberlin CT, Lu T, Neal SM, McBride-Gagyi SH, Sell SA. The Calcification Potential of Cryogel Scaffolds Incorporated with Various Forms of Hydroxyapatite for Bone Regeneration. Biomed Mater (2017). PMID: 28145891
Hixon KR, Eberlin CT, Kadakia PU, McBride-Gagyi SH, Jain E, Sell SA. A Comparison of Cryogel Scaffolds to Identify an Appropriate Structure for Promoting Bone Regeneration. Biomedical Physics & Engineering Express (2016) 2(3): 035014
Hixon K, Rhea L, Standley J, Canady FJ, Canady JW, Dunnwald M. Interferon Regulatory Factor 6 Controls Proliferation of Keratinocytes from Children With Van der Woude Syndrome. The Cleft palate-craniofacial journal : official publication of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (2016) 54(3):281-286. PMID: 2711556