Osteogenesis of Dental Stem Cells

Program Overview: This research lab is dedicated to the study of bioengineering bone tissue, an application of biology research within medicine known as regenerative medicine, through a variety of in-vivo and in-vitro projects. The primary focus of our lab is to replace a lifetime of bone graft surgeries associated with cleft palate, a congenital disorder where the palatal process of the maxilla fails to fuse during development, with a noninvasive injectable treatment. The lab upholds the central motif of tissue engineering of cells, scaffolds, and growth factors with our research utilizing periodontal ligamental stem cells/human gingival mesenchymal stem cells; 3D hydrogel scaffolds such as PuramatrixTM and ViagraftTM or bone powder; and osteogenic growth factors such as BMP-2 and more recently, FGF and VEGF in our newer studies. The research is focused in a dental maxillofacial model yet also has many implications for medicine within the orthopedic field