Faculty Research Labs

Office of Research

University of Michigan School of Dentistry
 

Bottino Lab
Regenerative Dentistry
Marco C. Bottino, DDS, MSc, PhD, FADM

The Bottino Lab (Regenerative Dentistry) focuses on identifying and translating regenerative materials and technologies to reestablish dental, oral, and craniofacial (DOC) tissue health.

Bradley Lab
Robert M. Bradley, MSD, PhD

The long-term goal of the Bradley laboratory is to understand the sensory input and brainstem neural circuits involved in processing taste information.

Cariology Research Lab
Carlos González-Cabezas, DDS, MSD, PhD,
Margherita Fontana, DDS, PhD

The Cariology Research Lab's research interests relate primarily to caries management in children, including risk assessment (and interprofessional care models), dental sealants, and oral biofilms as it relates to caries development and/or prevention (and included in this area, therapies that may affect the biofilm, such as xylitol, silver diammine fluoride, etc).

Cevidanes Lab
Lucia H.S. Cevidanes, DDS, MS, PhD

The Cevidanes lab's research focuses on AI-Based clinical decision support systems for diagnosis and treatment of osteoarthritis of the Temporomandibular Joint, as well as for bone and tooth morphometry in Dental, Oral and Craniofacial conditions.

Chiego Lab
Daniel Chiego Jr., MS, PhD

Dr. Chiego is involved with innervation of the pulp. This is of particular interest because of the variety of its roles in development, growth, pain, inflammation/immunity and repair. These roles occur in most peripheral tissues but in the dental pulp they are concentrated in a well defined anatomical area.

D'Silva Lab
Nisha J. D'Silva, BDS, MSD, PhD

The D'Silva Lab's translational research focus is head and neck cancer, including biomarkers for early detection and treatment resistance, and molecular mechanisms of tumor progression and treatment resistance.

Fenno Lab
J. Christopher Fenno, PhD

Dr. Fenno's research focuses on the role of the oral spirochete Treponema denticola in the development of periodontal diseases. The studies involve molecular characterization of spirochete surface-expressed and secreted proteins and their interactions with host tissue components.

Franceschi Lab
Renny T. Franceschi, PhD

Dr. Franceschi’s laboratory studies the signals regulating the formation and functioning of osteoblasts, cells that produce and mineralize the extracellular matrix of bone.

Geng Lab
Jian-Guo Geng, MD, PhD

The Geng Laboratory is focused on how to integrate tissue regeneration with host immunity to reject metastatic cancers. Specifically, the lab is focused on how to boost T-cell antitumor responses in vivo for rejection and vaccination of nonviral cancers.

Gerstner Lab
Geoffrey Gerstner, DDS, MS, PhD

My primary interest is in how mammalian motor systems compensate for the potentially detrimental effects of tooth wear in diphyodontic species and the life-threatening potential that occurs during swallowing due to incomplete separation of the respiratory and digestive systems in the oropharynx.

Giannobile Lab
William V. Giannobile, DDS, MS, DMSc

The Giannobile Laboratory's research focuses on regenerative medicine strategies to reconstruct oral and periodontal structures using biologics and drug targeting approaches. Our group is also involved in the use of saliva diagnostics to identify biomarkers of the disease process for periodontal and peri-implant infections.

Gonzalez Lab
Carlos González-Cabezas, DDS, MSD, PhD

The Gonzalez laboratory is interested in understanding dental caries and their clinical management. Particular interest in remineralization, fluorides, diagnosis and oral health products in general (e.g., dentifrices, rinses, toothbrushes, etc.).

Hatch Lab
Nan Hatch, DMD, PhD

The Hatch Lab is focused upon elucidating essential factors and pathways that control craniofacial skeletal development and pathogenic mechanisms leading to craniofacial skeletal anomalies, with an emphasis on craniosynostosis (the premature fusion of cranial bones).

H.O.P.E. Lab
Alexandre F. DaSilva, DDS, DMedSc

Directed by Dr. Alexandre F. DaSilva, H.O.P.E. (Headache & Orofacial Pain Effort) is a multidisciplinary collaborative effort to investigate the brain as a research and therapeutic target for chronic trigeminal pain disorders, including primary headaches (e.g. migraine), TMJD and trigeminal neuropathic pain.

Inglehart Lab
Marita Rohr Inglehart, Dr. phil. habil.

The Inglehart group's interests focus on exploring how oral health disparities could be reduced. Efforts focus on (a) educational research and (b) behavioral/clinical research related to oral health disparities.

Kaartinen Lab
Vesa M. Kaartinen, PhD

Research in the Kaartinen lab focuses on the molecular reasons behind craniofacial and cardiac birth malformations, such as, cleft palate, cleft lip and cardiac valve and septal anomalies; growth factor signaling in normal development in order to understand reasons that often lead to a failure in these particular developmental processes.

Kaigler Lab
Darnell Kaigler, Jr., DDS, PhD

The Kaigler laboratory is focused on developing novel and innovated approactes for tissue engeneering of bone, gingiva, salivary gland tissue, and tooth-related structures (enamel, dentin, dental pulp). Fundamental studies conducted on the molecular level are as aimed at providing rationale and guidenace to human studies exploring clinical application.

Kohn Lab
David H. Kohn, MSE, PhD

Dr. Kohn’s laboratory focuses on biomineralization, which is investigated by establishing structure-function relations in mineralized tissues and utilizing this information to develop biomimetic strategies to engineer tissue.

Kuroda Lab
Kenichi Kuroda, PhD

Our research is centered in the development of new antimicrobials that are effective against drug-resistant bacterial infections. Our laboratory creates synthetic polymer-based mimics of host-defense peptides that are a component in the innate immune system.

Laboratory of Epithelial Biology

Laboratory of Epithelial Biology
Castilho Lab
Rogerio Castilho, DDS, MS, PhD

The Laboratory of Epithelial Biology focuses on the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms involved in the control of epithelial cells and stem cells during homeostasis, healing and disease.

Lei Lab

Lei Lab
Yu Lei, DDS, PhD

The Lei laboratory focuses on the regulatory mechanisms of cancer-associated immune suppression and novel vaccine technologies to enhance host anti-tumor immunity.

Liu Lab
Fei Liu, DDS, PhD

Research in the Liu laboratory focuses on understanding cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate physiological and pathological bone metabolism, skeletal and craniofacial bone development and diseases.

Lombaert Lab
Isabelle Lombaert, PhD

The Lombaert Lab determines how stem cells participate in the formation of branching organs and how they respond to various external and internal cues in normal, damaged or diseased environments.

Ma Lab
Peter X. Ma, MS, PhD

The Ma laboratory is focused on tissue engeneering and regenerative medicine of bone and periodontal tissues: (1) stem cells (embryonic and mesenchymal stem cells) and their interactions with biomaterials; (2) spatially and temporally controlled delivery of growth/differentiation factors using nanotechnologies to mediate cell proliferation and differentiation.

McCauley/Roca Lab
Laurie K. McCauley, DDS, MS, PhD
Hernan Roca, PhD

The McCauley/Roca Lab researches hormonal controls of bone remodeling, anabolic actions of parathyroid hormone (PTH), parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP), and the impact and therapeutic potential of PTH in craniofacial osseous wound healing.

Mishina Lab
Yuji Mishina, PhD

The Mishina Laboratory explores the how growth factors, particularly the Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs) function during skeletogenesis and craniofacial development. Targeted diseases are craniosynostosis, frontnasal dysplasia, midface hypoplasia, chondrodysplastic dwarfisms and heterotopic ossification.

Mistretta Lab
Charlotte Mistretta, MS, PhD

My group studies roles of the Hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway in formation, maintenance and and regeneration of taste organs, lingual epithelium, and neural circuits involved in taste sensation. Because deregulated HH signaling can lead to tumorogenesis, our studies relate to taste disruption experienced by cancer patients using specific HH-inhibiting drug treatments.

Nör Lab
Jacques Nör, DDS, MS, PhD

My broad research interests are in tumor angiogenesis and stem cell biology. My current research foci are the study of mechanisms regulating the vascularization of head and neck tumors, and the impact of cancer stem cells in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas and salivary gland cancer.

Ono Lab
Noriaki Ono, DDS, PhD

The Ono laboratory uses genetically engineered mice to study the fundamental biology of stem and progenitor cells of the bone cell lineage in growth, development and homeostasis.

Ono Lab
Wanida Ono, DDS, PhD

The Wanida Ono Lab's goal is to understand mechanisms underlying tooth root and periodontium development, and tooth eruption.

Pierchala Lab
Brian Pierchala, PhD

The Pierchala laboratory investigates the mechanisms of action of neuronal growth factors, focusing attention on the Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) family and the neurotrophins.

Polverini Lab
Peter Polverini, DDS, DMSc

The Polverini Lab focuses on understanding the policy impact of new models of collaborative care on improving access to care for chronically underserved populations and the role precision medicine in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic oral diseases.

Rios Lab
Hector Rios, DDS, PhD

The Rios Laboratory focuses on developing technologies to improve the outcomes of regeneration in challenging clinical scenarios. Spcifically the group focuses on tissue repair and regeneration assisted by the efficient coordination of cell and extracellular matrix interactions mediated by matricellular molecules such as periostin.

Ritchie Lab
Helena Ritchie, MS, PhD

The Ritchie laboratory is focused on studying two major dentin noncollagenous proteins, dentin sialoprotein (DSP) and physophporyn (PP) which appear to play a significant role in the conversion of uncalcified predentin to calcified dentin.

Sasaki Lab
Dental Inflammology
Hajime Sasaki, DDS, PhD

The goal of the Sasaki Lab is to develop novel therapeutic approaches for the prevention and treatment of inflammation-associated diseases and to provide better environment for wound healing and tissue regeneration.

Simmer/Hu Lab
James P. Simmer, DDS, PhD & Jan Hu, BDS, PhD

The Simmer Laboratory's research is in the areas of tooth development, enamel and dentin formation, biochemistry and molecular biology of amelogenins, and hypophosphatasia and amelogenesis imperfecta.

Squarize Lab
Cristiane Squarize, DDS, MS, PhD

The Squarize Lab investigates the function of the key signaling pathways and stem cells in epithelial regeneration and disease.

Taichman Lab
Russell Taichman, DMD, DMSc

The Taichman laboratory works at the intersection of how hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) home, localize and engage the bone marrow microenvironment or niche for survival, function and protection from injury.

Wang Lab
Hom-Lay Wang, DDS, MSD, PhD

Research in the Wang group focuses on periodontal and dental implant-related clinical research with a specific focus on barrier membranes, bone grafting and growth factors.

Weivoda Lab
Megan Weivoda, PhD

The Weivoda Lab focuses on the role of osteoclasts in the bone remodeling cycle.