Postdoctoral Researcher · MSU

Galen
O'Shea-Stone,
PhD

I study how sterile inflammation shapes skeletal fusion and fracture repair across avian and mouse models using transcriptomics, imaging, and reproducible computational biology.

Galen O'Shea-Stone

Biochemist &
systems biologist

I'm a biochemist and systems biologist based at Montana State University. After earning my PhD in Biochemistry by building NMR-based metabolomics pipelines for wildlife conservation and translational studies, I joined Dr. Dana Rashid's lab to investigate how sterile inflammation guides bone growth, fusion, and repair across vertebrate systems.

Our group recently secured a W.M. Keck Foundation award to map inflammation-driven skeletogenesis across birds and mammals. My current work uses avian developmental fusion models and mouse fracture-repair models to define how inflammatory signaling, cell-death pathways, and tissue remodeling shape skeletal outcomes.

I integrate whole-tissue transcriptomics, high-resolution µCT, imaging, histology, and quantitative R/Python workflows to compare bone repair and fusion programs across species. I'm especially interested in how inflammatory biology can illuminate both normal developmental fusion and clinically relevant skeletal regeneration.

I thrive on cross-disciplinary collaboration, transparent code, and mentoring emerging scientists in quantitative methods.

RNA-seq / DESeq2 Mouse fracture models Avian developmental fusion µCT Imaging microscopy Histology R / Python Slurm / HPC NMR Metabolomics Machine Learning

Areas of focus

01

Inflammation-Mediated Skeletal Fusion

Investigating how sterile inflammatory pathways, DAMP signaling, and regulated cell-death programs shape developmental bone fusion, with emphasis on sacral and pygostyle fusion in birds.

02

Mouse Models of Fracture Repair & Bone Inflammation

Using murine skeletal injury and fracture-repair models to test how inflammatory signaling and tissue remodeling influence healing trajectories, regeneration, and fusion-related phenotypes.

03

Comparative Skeletal Biology Across Birds & Mammals

Connecting avian developmental fusion and mammalian bone-repair systems to identify conserved mechanisms of skeletal consolidation across vertebrates.

04

Biomarkers of Regeneration & Nutritional Stress

Applying NMR metabolomics and multivariate statistics to identify serum biomarkers in wildlife conservation, nutritional physiology, and translational disease models.

05

Computational Methods for Biological Data

Building open-source R/Python workflows for transcriptomic analysis, omics integration, image-linked quantification, pathway visualization, and machine-learning classification of high-dimensional datasets.

06

Mechanistic Signaling in Bone Remodeling

Probing how inflammatory cascades such as cGAS-STING, necroptosis-associated signaling, and sterile immune responses interface with osteogenesis, remodeling, and tissue morphogenesis.

What I'm working on now

Inflammatory control of fracture repair

Using mouse models to examine how sterile inflammatory signaling and tissue remodeling influence bone healing outcomes and skeletal repair trajectories.

Comparative skeletogenesis

Linking avian developmental fusion models with mammalian repair systems to test whether conserved inflammatory programs govern skeletal consolidation across species.

Integrated omics + imaging workflows

Combining RNA-seq, µCT, histology, and microscopy with reproducible quantitative analysis pipelines that support cross-platform biological interpretation.

Reproducible, open computational biology

Developing transparent R and Python workflows for differential expression, visualization, exploratory modeling, and communication-ready figures for collaborators and manuscripts.

Selected work

2025
Polar Metabolite Profiles Distinguish Between Early and Severe Sub-Maintenance Nutritional States of Wild Bighorn Sheep
O'Shea-Stone G, Tripet B, Thomson JM, Garrott RA, Copié V
Metabolites
2023
Copper Deficiency Is an Independent Risk Factor for Mortality in Patients with Advanced Liver Disease
O'Shea-Stone G et al.
Hepatology Communications
2022
Distinct Metabolic States Are Observed in Hypoglycemia Induced in Mice by Ricin Toxin or by Fasting
Kempa J, O'Shea-Stone G, Moss CE, et al.
Toxins
2022
18β-Glycyrrhetinic Acid Induces Metabolic Changes and Reduces Staphylococcus aureus Bacterial Cell-to-Cell Interactions
O'Shea-Stone G et al.
Antibiotics
2021
1H NMR Based Metabolic Profiling Distinguishes the Differential Impact of Capture Techniques on Wild Bighorn Sheep
O'Shea-Stone G, Lambert R, Tripet B, et al.
Scientific Reports

Looking for my full CV? Download the latest version below.

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Let's connect

I'm always open to conversations about collaboration, skeletal biology, inflammation, omics integration, computational biochemistry, or mentoring in quantitative methods.

Rashid Lab · Dept. of Microbiology & Cell Biology
Montana State University · Bozeman, MT

[email protected]