Surface Lab

The University of Michigan School of Dentistry

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ABOUT

As we age, our quality of life critically depends on the skeletal and craniofacial bones, in both health and disease. The skeleton is not only of immense clinical importance, notably in the weakening of bones seen in osteoporosis, but also is a model for studying communication across organs, as bone cells help to coordinate many aspects of organismal homeostasis, including mineral metabolism, disruption of which can have major consequences for health. Research in the Surface Lab pursues addresses both aspects of bone health in aging and disease.

Our investigations focus on two main directions, united by similar methodologies of leveraging genome-wide approaches followed by molecular and organismal investigations, to understand the molecular responses of bone cells. The first direction focuses on the molecular mechanisms of bisphosphonates, commonly used drugs to treat osteoporosis. The second seeks to identity how cells in bone sense and respond to changes in serum phosphate concentration, with this response being key in the endocrine control of serum phosphate levels.

DIRECTOR

lauren surface

Lauren Surface, PhD
Assistant Professor

lsurface@umich.edu

Dr. Lauren Surface is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences and Prosthodontics at the University of Michigan. She attended University of Washington for undergrad, performing research on yeast peroxisomes and fly brains. She then received her Ph.D. in Biology from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, studying the role of chromatin in embryonic stem cell lineage commitment. Her postdoctoral research was done at Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital, where her work utilized genome-wide approaches followed by molecular investigations to understand the response of osteogenic cells to drugs and mineral ions. She is the recipient of the NIH/NIAMS K99/R00 Pathway to Independence Grant, and is a UM Biological Sciences Scholar.

PUBLICATIONS


View the listing of publications.

TEAM

Recruiting! Curious, enthusiastic, and kind researchers welcome!

Gerald Har

Gerald Har
Postdoctoral Research Fellow

jierenha@umich.edu

Maggie Hsu, Undergrad Researcher, Surface lab

Maggie Hsu
Undergrad Researcher

maggiehs@umich.edu

Sooyun Christina Kim, Undergrad Researcher, Surface lab

Sooyun Christina Kim
Undergrad Researcher

sooyunk@umich.edu

Dylan Kuennen

Dylan Kuennen
Research Technician

dpkuenne@umich.edu

Hanah Kurosawa

Hanah Kurosawa
Research Assistant

hakurosa@umich.edu

Nita Singh

Nita Singh
Ph.D. Candidate

nnsingh@umich.edu

Ruchir Sriram, Undergrad Researcher, Surface lab

Ruchir Sriram
Undergrad Researcher

ruchirsr@umich.edu

Tomasia Suleiman, Undergrad Researcher, Surface lab

Tomasia Suleiman
Undergrad Researcher

stomasia@umich.edu

Long Tran

Long Tran
Research Technician

longtr@umich.edu

Emily Zhu, MS student, Surface lab

Emily Zhu
OHS MS Student

emzhu@umich.edu

Lauren Surface

Lauren Surface
Assistant Professor

lsurface@umich.edu


LAB ALUMNI

Helen SaTsu
Former Undergraduate Researcher
Currently Ph.D. student in Medicinal Chemistry, University of Michigan


CONTACT

Surface Lab
University of Michigan School of Dentistry
1011 N University Ave,
Room 3310 N
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

lsurface@umich.edu