Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine Research Program
Overview
The Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Program supports basic and translational research employing interdisciplinary approaches for the reconstruction, repair, and regeneration of dental, oral, and craniofacial (DOC) tissues that have become impaired by disease or injury. A goal of this program is to advance engineering of biocompatible DOC tissue constructs (e.g., bone, cartilage, ligament, skeletal muscle, blood vessels and nerves of the craniofacial complex, teeth, oral mucosa, and salivary glands), and to support their functional integration into the host tissue microenvironment. The program also supports research efforts aimed at healing and regeneration of endogenous host tissues. Example project topics may include, but are not limited to:
- Engineering multi-component tissue constructs that mimic the structure and function of native oral and craniofacial tissues
- Advancing functional integration of engineered DOC tissues into native host tissue
- Development of new scaffold fabrication techniques (e.g., 3D printing) or in situ functionality (e.g., smart or stimuli-responsive materials) to improve physiological relevance, efficacy, translational promise, or durability in regenerative applications
- Advancing the use of adult stem cells (either transplanted or manipulated within host tissues) to improve DOC host tissue healing or regeneration
- Performing mechanistic studies of DOC tissue damage (such as that caused by congenital defects, injury, or chronic disease) with the goal of developing pathways to reconstruct, repair, or regenerate these damaged tissues
- Testing of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine advancements in either established or newly developed animal models that exhibit demonstrable relevance to the human condition
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