bcdnews2011-v5n1

BMS NEWS

DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES s 'ASTON !VE s $ALLAS 4EXAS s HTTP BCD TAMHSC EDU EDUCATION BMS INDEX HTML Human gingival fibroblasts on a 2D matrix, revealing the expression of vinculin at focal adhesions (Green). The nucleus was stained with Hoechst dye (Blue) and actin with Phalloidin 546 (Red).

The overlap of actin and vinculin at the edges displays as yellow.

Dr. Rena D’Souza

What makes science exciting is that it is never static – one ex p e r i m e nta l result leads to a new idea that eventually leads to an unforeseen discovery. Teaching is much the same – methods are improved and new technology introduced to make course instruction as effective as possible. The past year brought such changes in the activity of the Department of Biomedical Sciences that will impact short-term and long-term activities at Baylor College of Dentistry.

The hiring of the first bioengineer in the department and the funding of seed grants supported by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act monies pointed BMS researchers toward developing biomimetic materials for tissue engineering applications.

A second bioengineer will be hired in 2011 to augment this effort. Successes in this area will truly revolutionize treatments for a variety of dental diseases. In addition, I am happy to report that two of our junior faculty members were successfully funded for their first major grant proposals, so their successes certainly enhance the

April 2010, 6OLUME Volume

4, Issue -AY )SSUE 1 Human gingival fibroblasts in which the nucleus is stained with Hoechst 33258 (Blue), actin is stained with Phalloidin 488 (Green), and vinculin is stained with Alexa Fluor 546 (Red).

Message from the Chair research profile of the department.

The acquisition of a new confocal microscope has given the department an improved tool for physiological experiments on live tissues and organcultured specimens. This capacity obviously enhances the quality and the amount of information gathered, which is needed for projects to move forward and produce significant results.

One of the challenges in dental education over the years has been the seeming disconnect between the basic science foundation laid in the initial years of instruction and the subsequent years of immersion in the clinical practice of dentistry. An initiative developed in BMS resulted in the creation of a new integrative sciences course that provided the students with instruction and practice in evaluating cases from a physiological, anatomical, pharmacological, and other basic sciences points of view.

This type of approach will benefit the students in the short term, when they take their boards and face questions integrating the clinical with the basic, and in the long term, when they practice dentistry in the “real� world.

I am proud that we have another Texas A&M Regents Professor in our

department. Dr. Kathy Svoboda was bestowed with this honor in 2009, and in 2010, Dr. Robert Hinton earned this prestigious title. I was honored as well in 2010 when I was elected Vice-President of the American Association for Dental Research. At this critical juncture in dental academic research, I look forward to making a difference in my role in this organization. Several distinctions and awards were gained by faculty, students and postdoctoral fellows, as reported on page 10 of this newsletter.

I feel fortunate to serve as chair of one the few integrated Biomedical Sciences departments found in American dental schools. Working in a unique department like this offers great benefits, like the successes and contributions to research and teaching produced by our faculty, as well as great challenges, such as uniting a department that is academically and ethnically diverse. Like science and teaching, this department is far from being static. This fifth annual newsletter showcases some of the department’s variety of activities during 2010.

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Inside this issue:

Message from THE #HAIR P "-3 0ERSONNEL p. 2 Teaching (IGHLIGHTS p. 3 Research (IGHLIGHTS p. 4 - 8 Department .EWS p. 8 -12 Invited 0RESENTATIONS 0UBLICATIONS p. 12-15 ,EADERSHIP P 'RANTS P Contacting the $EPARTMENT p. 18

%DITORS Dr. Emet Schneiderman Jeanne Santa Cruz ,AYOUT -ARY .OON

Professors Rena D’Souza, DDS, PhD, Chair Paul Dechow, PhD, Vice Chair Larry Bellinger, PhD, Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies Charles Berry, PhD, Associate Dean, Academic Affairs Jian (Jerry) Feng, MD, PhD Robert Hinton, PhD; Director of Predoctoral Teaching and Faculty Mentoring Lynne Opperman, PhD, Director of Technology Development Kathy Svoboda, PhD, GraduateProgram Director

Associate Professors Jay Groppe, PhD Allen Honeyman, PhD Bob Hutchins, PhD, Director of Instructional Technology Phillip Kramer, PhD Chunlin Qin, DDS, PhD Emet Schneiderman, PhD Robert Spears, PhD Fred Williams, PhD Brendan Wong, PhD

Assistant Professors M. Douglas Benson, PhD Paul Ezzo, DDS, PhD Xiaohua Liu,PhD Yongbo (Bob) Lu, MD, PhD Gabriele Mues, MD, PhD Jayne Reuben, PhD L-Bruno Ruest, PhD

Adjunct & Joint Faculty Brad Amendt, PhD (TAMHSC Institute of Biosciences & Technology Jacques Banchereau, PhD (Baylor Institute of Immunology Research) William Butler, PhD David Carlson, PhD (TAMHSC Office of Research and Graduate Studies Damien Chaussabel, PhD (Baylor Institute of Immunology Research) Edward Ellis, DDS (UT Southwestern Medical Center) Mohammed El-Salanty, MD, PhD, (Medical College of Georgia) Richard Finnell, PhD (TAMHSC Institute of Bioscienes & Technology) David Genecov, MD (International Craniofacial Institute) Kenneth Hargreaves, DDS, PhD (UT Health Science Center, Dental School, San Antonio) Richard King, MD, PhD (University of Utah)

Adjunct & Joint Faculty continued:

Postdoctoral Research Associates continued:

Joseph Newman, PhD (Baylor University Medical Center Eric Olson, PhD (UT Southwestern Medical Center) Anna Palucka, PhD (Baylor Institute of Immunology Research) Maria Pascual, PhD (Baylor Institute of Immunology Research) Kenneth E. Salyer, MD (World Craniofacial Foundation) Mikhail Samchukov, MD (Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children) Gottfried Schmalz, DDS, PhD (University of Regensburg, Germany) Fen Wang, PhD (TAMHSC Institute of Biosciences & Technology

Hua Zhang, MD PhD Qi Zhang, DDS, PhD Rong Zhang, PhD Yanping Zhang, MD Qinglin Zhu, PhD Zhaowen Zong, MD, PhD

Professors Emeritus Patricia Blanton, DDS Roy Dorris, PhD Loy Frazier, PhD Tommy Gage, DDS, PhD James McIntosh, PhD Edward Miller, Jr., PhD Alan Taylor, PhD Martin Wagner, PhD (deceased) Thomas Winford, PhD

Office Staff Marge Palma Nancy Anthony Darla Benson Jeanne Santa Cruz

Laboratory Staff Amanda Bonds Claudia Fernandez Tian Gao Mark Hallman Hannah Kong Shannon Kramer Jan Westerlund Kevin Spain Leben Tefera Connie Tillberg Lilin Xiang Susan Yassin

Postdoctoral Research Associates Zheng Guo Cao, PhD Xianglong Han, DDS, PhD Changcheng Li, DDS, MS Ying Liu, MD, MS Shaun Logan, PhD Symone San Miguel, PhD Maria Serrano, DDS Amanda Strom, PhD Yao Sun, DDS, PhD Suzhan Wang, DDS Ying Wang, DDS, PhD Xiaofang Wang, PhD

Graduate Students Rouba Assi Akshi Arora John Bonds Julia Chang Roberto Carillo Leticia Ferreira Hageer Glessa Lakshmi Gorugantula Elias Kontogiorgos Shuxian Lin Veera Malavia Mohammed Mansour Matt McBride Hoa Nguyen Monica Prasad Pavithra Pugalagiri Jyoti Puri Afsaneh Rangiani Sammer Razaq Katherine Regan Ashneet Sachar Cara Kessler Leslie Smith Yao Sun Shankar Venugopalan Anika Voisey Wendy Vu Albert Yamoah

Dental Student Research Trainees Destiny Bean Evan Blackwell Bradley Crossfield Ben Curtis Ryan Darr Nima Deljavan Laura Dinh Allison Fields Corbin Gatlin Ida Khobahy Greg Knutsen Chris Larrow Bennett Larsen David McMullan Roland Miguel Richland Mosely David Nguyen Rosanna Puente Cara Smith Ameena Tekbali Larry Tam Sara Vaughn Brad Vermeulen Jon Widdig Ryan Wilkinson Ryne Wilson

Teaching Teaching Highlights Highlights

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Bringing the Basic and Clinical Worlds Together For a long time, the basic sciences and clinical sciences seemed to be worlds apart in dental school education. First-year dental students struggled through courses in physiology, anatomy, biochemistry and more, learning facts and memorizing terminology having to do with the biology of the human body. When the students’ second year in dental school began, their attention turned TO CLINICAL MATTERS OPERATIVE DENtistry, fixed and removable prosthodontics, periodontics, and others.

As they learned the protocols for various clinical dental procedures, the facts and terminology from the first year may have faded for many students. Thus, there seemed to be a disconnect between the basic science foundation laid in the D1 year and the subsequent clinical training.

Educators at some dental schools have once again tried to tackle the problem of integrating the scientific knowledge the students gain in the first year with the practice of clinical dentistry in the following three years.

The rationale behind this movement is the belief that the traditional dental curriculum has not excelled at linking oral disease and dental care with overall health and physiology, especially systemic disease. The students’ store of knowledge from their first year represents a potential source of information to be used for diag-

nosis and treatment planning but historically has been an untapped resource because of the invisible divide between the various basic and clinical science courses.

In 2010, Baylor College of Dentistry (BCD) joined a handful of other dental schools in the U.S. that have introduced integrative sciences courses into their curriculum. Led by Dr. Rena D’Souza and Dr. Charles Arcoria as course directors, the Biomedical Sciences (BMS) faculty began a new one-semester course with casebased examinations. Practice in answering case-based questions was offered in the BMS courses and also in sample questions posted on Blackboard. After the initial offering of this course to the D1 students in Spring, 2010, modifications were made at the suggestion of the faculty and in response to feedback from the students. The course was thus moved to the Fall semester of the D2 year in order to include more of the D2 preclinical and basic science material in the case-based scenarios.

Another motivation for formally offering a course in the integration of the basic with the clinical sciences was that such exercises comprise 20% of the questions on the National Board Part 1 exam. Practicing this mode of questions in the integrative sciences course would

prepare the students well for this exam.

This “problem-based learning� approach will support the American Dental Association Accreditation Standards stating that “Biomedical science knowledge must be of sufficient depth and scope for graduates to apply advances in modern biology to clinical cases and to integrate new medical knowledge and therapies relevant to oral health care� and that “Graduates must be competent in the use of critical thinking and problem solving related to the comprehensive care of patients.�

Along the same lines, the American Dental Education Association’s guidelines on the skills for the New Dentist also include competencies on “obtaining and interpreting PATIENT MEDICAL DATA INCLUDING A THOROUGH INTRA EXTRAORAL EXAMINATION and using these findings to accurately assess and manage all patients�.

They also expect students to be able to “recognize the manifestations of systemic disease and how the disease and its management may affect the delivery of dental care.�

The BCD faculty involved in this effort believe that integrating the basic with the clinical will better prepare students as they proceed through their clinical training.

Making Good Use of Student Feedback Students’ opinions and feedback are generally solicited at the completion of courses as one means for instructors to evaluate the effectiveness of their teaching methods and gauge where improvements might be made. While students might think their written evaluations only end up in dusty file cabinets, never to be read after being turned in, student feedback has indeed been taken seRIOUSLY IN TWO "-3 COURSES 'ROSS !NATOMY AND .EUROSCIENCE

The importance of student feedback has brought about changes and affirmed the benefits of ongoing methodology.

In Gross Anatomy, small group instruction has been facilitated as a learning aide. Several new cases were developed in conjunction with what the students were learning in their Evidence-based Dentistry course.

Functional test questions were used in association with vignettes that will mimic those used on their national boards. CODA based competencies

were also supported by the comprehensive testing of head and neck anatomy. Clinical correlations of the material studied were made with the help of several of the clinicians.

Clinical correlations were also part of the Neuroscience curriculum. In particular, non-traditional course material emphasized the clinical application of nociceptive mechanisms underlying the management of pain. Test questions in this course were written using multi-disciplinary information relying on the concept outlined in continued page 7

Research Highlights

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Studying the Developing Palate Cleft palate is one of the most common human birth defects, often resulting in difficulties in breathing, feeding, speech and dental development. Despite the frequency of cleft palate and other facial clefts, the molecular mechanisms underlying these malformations are not well understood. Drs. Kathy Svoboda, Douglas Benson and L-Bruno Ruest lead efforts to discover the root molecular causes of faulty palate development such that these problems might be prevented before birth.

In the meantime, Drs. Emet Schneiderman and Kenneth Salyer are focused on the postnatal treatment of cleft patients; they are initiating clinical studies with an international consortium of cleft centers to identify the surgical procedures that best facilitate normal post-natal growth.

This issue of the BMS Newsletter highlights the molecular research conducted in the Svoboda and Benson laboratories.

How the hard palate forms While a child is still in utero, projections of mesenchymal tissue surrounded by a thin sheet of epithelium project vertically on each side of the tongue.

As the fetus grows, these palatal shelves elevate over the tongue and grow to meet at the midline. There, the medial edge epithelium (MEE) of each adheres to the other. The MEE cells then undergo epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) while they migrate into the mesenchyme.

They ultimately undergo apoptosis, leaving a confluent fused palate of mesenchyme (Figure 1).

Previous work found that EMT and fusion in mammals depends on local synthesis of transforming growth factor beta 3 (TGFĂ&#x;3). Blockage of TGFĂ&#x;3 in mammalian palates abrogates fusion, and addition of exogenous TGFĂ&#x;3 to chicken palates (which do not make their own and do not normally fuse) causes them to fuse. The Svoboda Lab discovered that the

TGFĂ&#x;3 in this process signals to the transcription factor Twist1 through phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3K).

Figure 1. Sequence of palate EMT and fusion.

The Benson Lab recently noted the expression of members of the Eph family of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) and their membrane-bound ligands, the ephrins, in palate MEE before and during fusion. Mutations of at least one ephrin, ephrin-B1, are linked to human syndromes that include cleft palate. They therefore ASKED WHETHER %PH EPHRIN SIGNALING plays a role in palatal EMT and fusion.

Ephrins are unique among RTK ligands in that they can also function as receptors, transducing signals into the ephrin-bearing cell upon Eph binding from other cells (Figure 2).

Ephrin signaling controls palatal fusion independent of TGFĂ&#x;3 Embryonic chicken palates were cultured in the presence of recombinant proteins comprised of either the extracellular domain of ephrinB2 (to activate Eph forward signaling) or EphB2 (to activate ephrin-B reverse signaling) fused to human IgG Fc. Activation of signaling for both pathways requires clustering of the proteins, accomplished by preincubation with anti-Fc antibody.

When applied in unclustered form, these proteins still bind their targets and act as competitive inhibitors to block signal activation.

Dr. Symone San Miguel (Benson Lab) and Dr. Maria Serrano (Svoboda Lab) found that activation of ephrin-B reverse signaling by incubation with clustered EphB2 protein caused fusion as efficiently as TGFĂ&#x;3, and moreover, that it did so without the action of TGFĂ&#x;3 (Figure 3). Indeed, addition of unclustered Eph protein to block ephrin reverse signaling abrogated the ability of TGFĂ&#x;3 to cause fusion.

They also incubated embryonic

A

Figure 2. Forward and reverse ephrin signaling.

This process is called “reverse signaling�, and is essential for diverse developmental events involving cell migration and tissue segregation.

Thus, these studies examined contributions of both forward and reverse signaling using ex vivo palate fusion model systems.

Figure 3. Eph and ephrin effects on palate fusion. (A) Palatal shelves were dissected from eight day old chicken embryos and cultured in contact on a support for 72 h in the presence of specific treatments, as indicated. continued page 5

Research Highlights

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continued from page 4

Shown are representative H&E stained sections from each treatment. Note the darkened epithelial layer that disappears as fusion proceeds. H&E stained sections from anterior to posterior were scored on for fusion on a scale of 1 to 5 at anterior, middle, and posterior points and these scores averaged to yield the mean fusion score (MFS) shown. Values are ±SEM, with n=7 to 9 for each group across three separate experiments.

mouse palates (which naturally fuse in culture) with unclustered Eph protein, and prevented disintegration of the MEE and fusion.

Addition of an inhibitor of PI3K to chicken palate cultures almost completely inhibited Eph-induced fusion (Figure 4).

requires the PI3K pathway to do so (Figure 5). Ongoing studies in the Benson and Svoboda labs focus on THREE MAIN AREAS THE SPECIFIC %PH and ephrin family members that mediate EMT, 2) the signal transduction pathways downstream of ephrins in the palate, and 3) the molecular genetic mechanisms in MEE and mesenchyme that accompany the changes in cell identity and mobility leading to fusion.

B

(B) Embryonic day 14.5 mouse palates were cultured in the presence of unclustered EphA4/ Fc soluble recombinant protein or IgG Fc control protein. H&E stained sections were scored for fusion.

Values are ±SEM for n=14 palates over four independent experiments.

Figure 4. Effect of PI3K inhibition on Eph-induced palate fusion.

Chicken palates grown in TGFß3 or EphB2 alone fused almost completely. Addition of the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 abrogated fusion with either TGFß3 or clustered EphB2/Fc. Together, these data demonstrate that ephrin reverse signaling is both necessary and sufficient to cause palatal EMT and fusion, and that it

Figure 5. Model of ephrin and TGFß3 signal transduction in palate fusion. Ephrin and TGFßR signals intersect at a point upstream of PI3K, which is required for fusion.

Other possible pathways from ephrin-Bs that do not go through PI3K are not diagrammed. Signals from Eph RTKs that induce partial fusion are unknown

Six P30 Seed Grants Awarded As reported in the 2010 BMS Newsletter, TAMHSC Baylor College of Dentistry (BCD) was one of seven institutions in the U.S. to be awarded grant funding through the NIH “Biomedical Research Core Centers to Enhance Research Resources” initiative, otherwise known as the “P30” grant mechanism. During the two-year grant period, BCD’s $1.4 million award is being SPENT IN TWO PHASES THE FIRST PHASE has concentrated on the hiring of two new bioengineering faculty.

The first of these bioengineers is Dr. Xiaohua Liu (see article on page 9). In the second phase, approximately $250,000 in seed research funds is being made available to

the BCD faculty to develop bioengineering and translational research projects in collaboration with the new bioengineering faculty. The primary purpose of these seed funds is to generate preliminary data for extramural grant submissions focusing on translational bioengineering research that promotes clinical treatment advances.

These projects can be on topics such as craniofacial tissue regeneration, bioengineering for bone, tooth and periodontium, biomimetic approaches to novel implant design, biological interfaces for the delivery of therapeutics, delivery systems for novel TMJ therapeutics, device design, optimization, analy-

sis, and modeling, biomimetic scaffold design, nanostructured materials, stem cell-mediated approaches, 3-D delivery systems, bioactive factors, and drug release devices.

The awards may support translational research combining both basic biomedical and clinical science approaches.

All full-time faculty at BCD, including clinicians, clinical and basic science researchers, early-career investigators (i.e., Instructors or Assistant Professors), and senior investigators, were eligible to apply in July 2010 for the first round of funding. The grant administrators were looking for translational and clinical projects offering innovative socontinued page 6

Research Highlights

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lutions for problems in oral health care.

The following faculty were awarded seed grants funded for one year by the NIH P30 grant program, “Baylor’s Program for Bioengineering Sciences and Translational 2ESEARCH " "%34v Dr. Jerry Feng, Department of BioMEDICAL 3CIENCES h"-0 RECEPTOR 1A (Bmp1a) null osteoblast cells acCELERATE BONE TOOTH REPAIRv Dr. Takashi Komabayashi, DepartMENT OF %NDODONTICS h)NNOVATIVE

endodontic inter-canal medication for open apex permanent teeth using an intelligent release system of calcium hydroxide�

Dr. Phillip Kramer, Department of BioMEDICAL 3CIENCES h$RUG LOADED MIcrospheres and TMJ pain treatment�

Dr. Paula Ortiz, Department of PeriODONTICS h4HE EFFECT OF LOCAL DELIVery of TNF- Ď on periodontal disease�

Dr. Chunlin Qin, Department of "IOMEDICAL 3CIENCES h$-0 AND

biomimetic nano-structured scaffold in osteogenesis�

Dr. Kathy Svoboda, Department OF "IOMEDICAL 3CIENCES h6ISUALizing cell scaffold interactions in real time�

The co-investigator on each of these projects is Dr. Xiaohua Liu, who is an expert in bioengineering studies on topics such as biomimetic nano-structured scaffolds and microsphere technology.

Engagement Through Professional Meetings One important aspect of the life of faculty and students is attendance at professional meetings where they have opportunities to share their research or teaching methodology, learn about new ideas in their field of expertise, and meet others with the same interests who may become collaborators and colleagues. BMS faculty and students are no different. In addition to attending the annual meetings of professional organizations such as the American Association for Dental Research and the Society for Neuroscience, members of the department participated in other scientific forums where they gave presentations as well as attended presentations.

The 10th International Conference on the Chemistry and Biology of Mineralized Tissues (ICCBMT) was held in Scottsdale, Arizona, from .OVEMBER th to 12th, 2010. The goal of the meeting was to present the most recent information about the structure, function and interactions of the mineral, matrix, and cellular components of bones, teeth and other mineralized vertebrate and invertebrate tissues of the body.

A contingent of BMS faculty and students attended the meeting SHOWN IN THE PICTURE ON PAGE

and gave the following oral and POSTER PRESENTATIONS Dr. Rena D’Souza – Molecular insights into BMP4-dependent signaling during tooth morphogenesis Dr. Yao Sun – Failure to process dentin matrix protein 1 into fragments leads to the loss of its function in osteogenesis and dentinogenesis Dr. Afsaneh Rangiani – Unique roles of DMP1 and phosphate in hard tissues Dr. Xianglong Han – A marrow “guardian� cell inhibits marrow space mineralization and TRABECULARIZATION THROUGH 3OST sclerostin expression Anika Voisey – ALK3 controls the CELL FATE OF TOOTH BONE VIA 4'& ” signaling pathway Dr. Jay Groppe – In vitro analyses OF THE DYSREGULATED 2 ( !,+ ACVR1 kinase linked to heterotopic ossification in FOP Katherine Regan – Bioactive multidomain peptides and their application for dental tissue regeneration Posters were also presented by BMS PERSONNEL Qinglin Zhu, Yao Sun, Yongbo Lu, Xiaofang Wang, Monica Prasad, Albert Yamoah, Jian Q. Feng,

Chunlin Qin. Proteolytic processing of dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) were blocked by substitutions of amino acid residues at cleavage sites.

Xiaofang Wang, Yixia Xie, Janjun Hao, Brianda Hernandez, Yao Sun, Albert Yamoah, Monica Prasad, Qinglin Zhu, Jian Q. Feng, Chunlin Qin. The expression of FAM20C (DMP4) in the tooth and skeleton indicates a unique role of this protein in odontogenesis and osteogenesis.

Yao Sun, Monica Prasad, Albert Yamoah, Jian Q. Feng, Chunlin Qin. Detection of small integrin-binding ligand, N-linked glycoprotein (SIBLING) family members in the rat brain.

Kerstin M. Galler, Katherine R. Regan, Gottfried Schmalz, Jeffrey D. Hartgerink, Rena N. D’Souza.

Growth factor-binding to selfassembling peptide hydrogels for dental tissue regeneration.

Yongbo Lu, Yucheng Li, Adriana Cavender, Alka Mansukhani, Rena D’Souza. Runx2 controls FGF SIGNALING THROUGH 4WIST AND % heterodimers.

Afsaneh Rangiani, Rong Zhang, Omar Ashraf, Baozhi Yuan, Yixia Xie, Chunlin Qin, Makoto Kuro-o, Jian Q. Feng. Unique roles of DMP1 and continued page 7

Research Highlights

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phosphate in hard tissues.

specific strategies.

X. Han, J. Gluhak-Heinrich, Y. Sun, T. Gao, W. Yang, M.A. Harris, C. Qin, L.F. Bonewald, S.E. Harris, Jian Q. Feng.

A marrow “guardian� cell inhibits marrow space mineralization and trabecularization through 3OST SCLEROSTIN EXPRESSION A. Voisey, L. Ye, Q. Tian, H. Qin, S. Shi, R. D’Souza, C. Liu, J. Feng. ALK3 controls the CELL FATE OF TOOTH BONE VIA 4'& ” signaling pathway.

Monica Prasad, Yao Sun, Xiaofang Wang, Qinglin Zhu, Jian Q. Feng, Chunlin Qin. Role of the NH2terminal fragment of dentin sialophosphoprotein (DSPP) in biomineralization.

The first-ever Texas A&M Health Science Center Research Symposium was held on November 11-12, 2010, in College Station, TX. This event was organized to encourage scientific exchange among members of the HSC components, including both faculty and trainees (graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and residents), and research technicians.

The planning committee included faculty representatives from the College of Medicine, Institute

regenerative

Phillip Kramer. Blockade of the GABAA receptor 6 reduced the nociceptive response in an inflamed temporomandibular joint.

Poster Larry L. Bellinger, Jenny He and Phillip R. Kramer.

The use of meal duration (MD) as a behavioral marker of tooth pain in

Members of BMS who attended ICCBMT

of Biosciences and Technology, Rangel College of Pharmacy, and School of Rural Public Health, and Baylor College of Dentistry. The organizers from Baylor College of Dentistry were Drs. Chunlin Qin and L-Bruno Ruest.

Presentations in both oral and poster formats were given in several broad AREAS OF STUDY DEVELOPMENTAL biology and stem cell research; infection and inflammation; cancer; cardiovascular and metabolism, neuroscience, and translational medicine and core centers. The presentations given by BMS faculty INCLUDED THE FOLLOWING Oral L. Bruno Ruest. Twist1 function during mandibular development.

Rena N. D’Souza, Application of developmental principles to tooth-

male rats.

Chunlin Qin, Yao Sun, Rena D’Souza, Jian Q. Feng. Proteolytic processing of dentin matrix protein is essential to the formation of bone and dentin.

Maria J. Serrano, Kathy K.H. Svoboda. Mouse genotype alters palatal fusion response to nicotine.

Symone M. San Miguel, Maria J. Serrano, Ashneet Sachar, Kathy K. Svoboda, M. Douglas Benson.

Ephrin modulation of palate fusion.

Xiaohua Liu and P.X. Ma. Biomimetic nano-structured scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

Lynne Opperman, Elias D. Kontogiorgos, Mohammed E. Elsalanty, T. Mulone, Paul C. Dechow.

Development of a novel bone transport reconstruction plate.

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the previous article (“Bringing the Basic and Clinical Worlds Together�) to stress the integration of the biomedical sciences. Extra credit assignments were also used to stress the impor-

tance of critically evaluating current research as it applies to dentistry.

Feedback from the students in these and other courses helps the instructors

know when they are on the right track or when the track may need to be redirected. In this sense, the students become partners with the instructors as they develop their clinical skills.

Research Highlights / Department News

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New Microscope Enhances BCD’s Research Capabilities The newest high-end research instrument for the BCD faculty, trainees and staff arrived in November 2010. This new confocal microscope, the Leica TCS SP5, substantially increased the research capabilities of BCD’s existing light microscope facility. The TCS SP5 can detect at least four signal wavelengths and will be available for physiological experiments on live tissues and organ-cultured specimens. It was obtained through an NIH shared instrumentation grant funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act stimulus money allocated to NIH in 2009.

BCD’s old confocal microscope, a Leica TCS SP2 Confocal Scanning Laser Microscope (CSLM), was over 10 years old with over 5,500 logged hours on the lasers. The new microscope has several features that will offer users a faster scan rate, wider field and longer working distance objectives in a controlled environment. It strengthens the current BCD core facilities for ongoing studies and future projects arising after the capabilities of the microscope have been fully explored.

Faculty, students, postdoctoral fellows and technicians needing to use the instrument will be trained in its operation. Instrument utilization will also be integrated into the

Committee, composed of Dr. Allen Honeyman (chair) and Drs. Kramer, Opperman, Ruest and Svoboda, will oversee the policies and use of the new instrument.

Figure 1 shows examples of photos of specimens taken under the microscope.

Dr. Kathy Svoboda with Dr. Ashneet Sachar seated at the microscope.

appropriate graduate courses that include practical research applications, such as Techniques in Cell and Molecular Biology, and Microscopy. Besides being a tool that current faculty, staff, and students can use, it will also be beneficial for the recruitment of new students, postdoctoral fellows and basic science faculty.

Dr. Kathy Svoboda is the Principal Investigator of the half million-dollar grant that funded the new microscope. Other participants on the grant application were Drs. Rena D’Souza, Jerry Feng, Phillip Kramer, Chunlin Qin, Bruno Ruest, Robert Spears, Douglas Benson, Lynne Opperman, and Avadhesh Sharma.

The Biomedical Sciences Resource

a

b

c

d

Figure 1. Contrasts corresponding micrographs of undecalcified bone taken with the Leica TCS confocal microscope (upper panel) with µ-ct images (lower panel). Sections a and c are control specimins; b and d are 12-week regenerate bone created by bone transport osteogenesis.

A Rewarding Year for Dr. Hinton The year 2010 was a year for Dr. Robert Hinton to shine. He was honored by the Texas A&M University System as a recipient of the prestigious Regents Professor Award and by his department as the 2010 Golden Apple Educator Award winner. Both awards are conferred on those who contribute significantly to the mission of the college.

On August 10, 2010, Dr. Hinton was presented with the Golden Apple Award during the D1 luncheon by Dr.

Rena D’Souza, Chair of Biomedical Sciences. She initiated this biennial award in 2008 as a way to recognize dedicated and outstanding instructors in the Department of Biomedical Sciences.

Dr. Hinton’s Regents Professor award was announced on December 2, 2010. This award is bestowed annually by the A&M System’s Board of Regents in recognition of awardees’ exemplary contributions to their university or agency and to the people

of Texas. In all, 11 A&M System faculty members were designated Regents Professors for 2009-10. Dr. Hinton was one of only two recipients from the Texas A&M Health Science Center.

Dr. Hinton is professor and director of undergraduate teaching and faculty mentoring in the Department of Biomedical Sciences. He has concentrated his teaching efforts on the Gross Anatomy course to the first-year dental students, and the Biomedical Sciences course to continued page 9

Department News

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the dental hygiene students, and courses in craniofacial growth and development to the graduate students. He has also participated in teaching the summer enrichment courses to high school and college students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are interested in dentistry. He has consistently received high ratings in student evaluations and has been nominated several times for the BCD “Teacher of the Year” award.

In addition to his formal duties in the classroom and laboratory settings, Dr. Hinton dedicates a significant amount of effort toward guiding entry-level faculty in their first teaching assignments and carving out their career development plans. He

Dr. D’Souza and Dr. Hinton are pictured during the presentation of the Golden Apple Award.

works tirelessly behind the scenes to guide and improve through innovation the teaching activity in BMS and at Baylor College of Dentistry. One of Dr. Hinton’s most important achievements has been

in the area of curriculum development. Three years ago he led the efforts to submit an Oral Health Research Education (R25) grant introducing instruction in evidencebased dentistry (EBD) to the dental students. The grant was successfully funded by the National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research and is now entering its third year of activity. Its primary purpose is to support the introduction of EBD content and experiences into all four years of the DDS curriculum while creating faculty development experiences that complement this endeavor.

Bioengineer joins BMS faculty In addition to the Biomedical Sciences faculty specializing in disciplines such as physiology, microbiology, and anatomy, the depart-

trolled drug and protein delivery for tissue engineering. His research projects included developing injectable scaffolds for bone and cartilage tissue engineering, biomimetic computer-aided design techniques for scaffolding design and fabrication, and novel surface modification techniques of scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

ment now has a specialist in bioengineering. This most recently hired faculty member in the department is Dr. Xiaohua Liu, who joined Baylor College of Dentistry in July 2010.

Hiring Dr. Liu was made possible by an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) P30 grant whose specific purpose was to hire two first-time faculty who would add expertise in tissue regeneration to the department in an effort to bridge the gap between basic and clinical research. The grant also provided seed grant funds for Baylor College of Dentistry faculty to develop projects in collaboration with these newly hired bioengineers (see article on p. 5).

Dr. Xiaohua Liu

Dr. Liu was previously a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, where he studied biomimetic scaffold design and fabrication for tissue engineering, novel biodegradable polymer synthesis and characterization, and con-

Dr. Liu was educated at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China, where he earned a B.E. in Chemical Engineering and a Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry. He began a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan in 2002 under the direction of Dr. Peter X. Ma. His research results have appeared in 26 published articles and five book chapters, and he has given oral presentations at meetings within the United States and in China, the Netherlands, and Australia.

Dr. Liu was the recipient of the Changxing Graduate Scholarship (2000-2001) given to the top 5% outstanding graduate students at Tsinghua University, the GuangHua 'RADUATE 3CHOLARSHIP IN

and the Aptitude Student Award of 4SINGHUA 5NIVERSITY PREsented to the top 3% outstanding undergraduate students.

Department News

page 10

Awards and Honors

Afsaneh Ragiani

Anika Voisey

Katherine Regan

Three Ph.D. students, Afsaneh Rangiani, Anika Voisey, and Katherine Regan, each won a Travel Award to attend the International Conference on the Chemistry and "IOLOGY OF -INERALIZED 4ISSUES HELD ON .OVEMBER !FSANEH AND !NIKA ARE mentored by Dr. Jerry Feng, and Katherine is mentored by Dr. Rena D’Souza.

Dr. Maria Serrano

Dr. Maria Serrano, postdoctoral fellow in Biomedical Sciences, was selected as one of six recipients of the 2010 Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) Postdoctoral Professional Development Award. Dr. Serrano is mentored

by Dr. Kathy Svoboda. The award was sponsored by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health. As an award winner, Dr. Serrano was given a $3,000 unrestricted career development award and certificate of recognition. She used part of her award to attend a three-day lecture and laboratory course at the National Institutes of Health on Immunofluorescence and Confocal Microscopy. Dr. Serrano also received a travel award up to $2,450 to support her travel to a national scientific meeting.

A postdoctoral fellow in Dr. Jerry Feng’s lab, Dr. Xianglong Han, was the recipient of the ASBMR (American Society for Bone and Mineral Research) Young Investigator Travel Award that he used to attend the ASBMR annual meeting in Toronto on October 15-19, 2010.

Dr. Xianglong Han

Dr. Robert Hinton

Dr. Robert Hinton was designated as a Regents Professor by the Texas A&M University System and was also the recipient of the BMS departmental distinction, the Golden Apple Award (see page 8 for complete article).

Dr. Kathy Svoboda

Dr. Kathy Svoboda, was named a Silver Fellow by the Association for Research in Vision and Opthalmology (ARVO).

Department News

page 11

Action Central: The Biomedical Sciences Department Office Not for the faint of heart, The office member who has the Biomedical Scinightmares about being ences Department ofchased by stacks of course fice is the place where manuals in giant binders is problems are solved, Darla Benson, Lead Office crises are averted, and Assistant. It’s no dream, multi-tasking abounds. she does have to work with Four dedicated emthe course manuals written ployees with nerves of by the department faculty steel, each with her who teach all the basic sciown special domain ence courses to the dental of responsibilities and and dental hygiene stuexpertise, shoulder the dents. She is responsible many duties of working for ordering binders, getwith a large group of ting the manuals printed faculty educators and L-R, Nancy Anthony, Marge Palma, Jeanne Santa Cruz, Darla Benson in BCD’s print shop, and researchers, laborastuffing the binders with all tory assistants, dental students, and kinds are not evident and deals those manuals, some of which may graduate students. with each situation with equanim- be several hundred pages long. ity and patience.

Then she must cleverly figure out The buck stops with Marge Palma, how to stack up all 100 manuals per Senior Administrative Coordinator. Nancy Anthony, Administrative As- course in her work room in the most That’s because she keeps track of sistant, has her finger on the pulse efficient way since she sometimes the many accounts that pay the of the entire department.

She has two or three courses-worth of departmental bills. Think it’s hard to knows who is present or absent, manuals to get ready at the same keep your personal bank account where the Cell and Molecular time. The final step is to distribute balanced? Marge has 56 depart- Biology course is meeting this se- the manuals to eager students ment accounts to track, including mester, why that old chair is sitting whose enthusiasm may be somestate accounts, grant accounts, in the hallway and when each what tempered when they see and individual faculty accounts. faculty member generally arrives how big some of the manuals are, She facilitates and approves pur- each morning. Her duties include but Darla’s pleasant demeanor chases needed by faculty and assisting the department Chair immediately helps them accept staff and is an expert at ordering with her calendar and travel ar- the inevitable. As each course prosuch diverse items as liquid nitro- rangements and providing support gresses, she sees that quizzes and gen, rats, and body bags. Besides to the Graduate Program Director exams are copied and stuffs them money matters, Marge is respon- by getting the students enrolled in with scantrons. She is truly the inSIBLE FOR PEOPLE MATTERS SHE MA- their courses each semester and structors’ right hand and plays an neuvers through the complicated answering questions for prospec- important role in the teaching mismaze of regulations involved in hir- tive M.S. and Ph.D. students. With sion of the department. Besides ing departmental faculty and staff. sensitivity and neighborliness, she these duties, Darla also processes Once they are hired, she oversees advises potential body donors and invoices for payment. the hourly employees who use the their families about the Willed Body online TimeTraq system to report Program; once the donors are de- Just mind your “p’s and q’s” when their hours worked, the LeaveTraq ceased, she sees to the transport- you’re around Jeanne Santa Cruz, system all employees must access ing of their bodies to BCD. Nancy Education Specialist. Her job into request the use of sick and va- processes travel reimbursements volves a lot of writing, so she is cation leave, and she ensures that after the faculty have attended familiar with the finer points of Engall departmental faculty and staff scientific meetings and other lish, like the difference between have completed their required professional events, and she also “lie” and “lay” and when to use Traintraq training in various sub- processes financial documents. subjunctive verbs. She assists the jects. Marge keeps everybody on Nancy is a welcoming presence in department chair and faculty with the right traq, though it’s not easy. the department that many visitors drafting documents of all shapes She is the “go-to” person when so- have appreciated over the years. and sizes, such as correspondence lutions to daily problems of various and reports, and edits scientific continued page 12

Department News

page 12

continued from page 11

manuscripts and grants to smooth out the prose. She sometimes even writes newsletter articles. Jeanne is also the department webmaster – she’s no geek but has learned to negotiate the idiosyncrasies of the “Content Management System� software to create pages about the BMS faculty and staff, the research programs and other departmental activities. In addition, she serves as the staff administrator of the NIH T32 training grant that supports students interested in a career com-

bining dentistry with research.

Marge, Nancy, Darla, and Jeanne keep the department moving forward each day as they juggle a multitude of tasks, solve unexpected problems, deal with the many personalities in the department, and leap over tall buildings. “They are a remarkable group in that not only do they perform all of their myriad functions effectively and professionally, but each one of them is always kind, thought-

ful, and helpful. This is no mean feat given some of the pressures that come to bear,� says Dr. Rena D’Souza, Department Chair.

These four hard workers share the opinion that one of the cable channels could easily create a popular reality show about daily life in the BMS department office − but probably no one would believe that all the things they experience each day could really happen.

Invited Presentations Invited presentations D’Souza R. Overview of Current and Critical Issues Related to NIH Funding, Hispanic Dental Association Meeting, Chicago; October 29-30, 2010.

D’Souza R. Guest Lecturer, Graduate Endodontics Program, Temple University, Philadelphia; October 4, 2010.

D’Souza R. Short Course on Tissue Engineering, Rice University, Houston; August 11, 2010.

D’Souza R. International Symposium on Tissue Injury and Pulp Regeneration, Geneva, Switzerland; July 1820, 2010.

D’Souza R. IADR Symposium #99, Genetic Regulation OF /DONTOGENESIS "ARCELONA 3PAIN 3PONSORS #RAniofacial Biology and Mineralized Tissue Sections; July 15, 2010.

Qin C. Harbin Medical University College of StomatolOGY (ARBIN #HINA *UNE TWO TALKS Qin C. Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY; July 28, 2010.

Reuben J. Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students, Charlotte, NC; November 10, 2010.

Ruest LB. 1st Texas A&M Health Science Center Research Symposium, College Station, TX; 2010.

Spears R. Introduction to Dentistry and Baylor College of Dentistry (lecture series to Biomedical Sciences students), Texas A&M University; February 2010, September, 2010.

Spears R. TAMU PreDent Organization, Texas A&M University; September 2010.

D’Souza R. Wuhan-Baylor Symposium on Craniofacial 2EGENERATION 7UHAN #HINA -AY KEYnote lectures).

Spears R. Second-year medical students in Integrative Sciences course, TAMHSC College of Medicine; November 2010.

D’Souza R. Inaugural Meeting of the Shanghai Craniofacial Research Center, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine; May 31, 2010.

Spears R. Introduction to Dentistry and Baylor College of Dentistry; 4 separate lectures to Biomedical Sciences students, Texas A&M University.

Qin C. First Clinical College of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China; June 11, 2010.

Svoboda K. Orofacial Clefting in Mouse Models symposium; American Association for Dental Research annual meeting; Washington, D.C.; March 2010.

Qin C. Fourth Military Medical University College of Stomatology. Xi’An, China; June 14, 2010.

Qin C. Jilin University College of Stomatology, Changchun, China; June 14, 2010.

3VOBODA + 4HE 3PIRIT OF #REATING &UNDABLE 0ROPOSALS 0REPARING 3")2 3442 0ROGRAM )NSTRUMENT 2ESEARCH

Infrastructure and Training Grants; Experimental Biology annual meeting; April 2010. continued page 13

continued from page 12

Invited Presentations / Publications

3VOBODA + !NATOMICAL 6ARIATION 'ENETIC $EVELOPmental and Comparative Perspectives symposium; Experimental Biology annual meeting; April 2010.

page 13

#HEM 3OC -AR

Publications

Galler KM, D’Souza RN, Hartgerink JD. Biomaterials and their potential applications for dental tissue engiNEERING * -ATER #HEM

Bellinger LL, Wellman PJ, Harris RB, Kelso EW, Kramer PR. The effects of chronic nicotine on meal patterns, food intake, metabolism and body weight of male rats.

0HARMACOL "IOCHEM "EHAV

Gericke A, Qin C, Sun Y, Redfern R, Redfern D, Fujimoto Y, Taleb H, Butler WT, Boskey AL. Different forms of DMP1 play distinct roles in mineralization. J Dent Res

Benson MD, Opperman LA. Regulation of calvarial bone growth by molecules involved in the craniosynOSTOSES -ONOGRAPHS IN (UMAN 'ENETICS 6OLUME #RANIOSYNOSTOSES -OLECULAR 'ENETICS 0RINCIPLES OF $Iagnosis and Treatment. Muenke M, Kress W, Collmann H, Solomon BD, eds.; KargerAG, Basel, 2010.

Gluhak-Heinrich J, Guo D, Yang W, Harris MA, Lichtler A, Kream B, Zhang J, Feng JQ, Smith LC, Dechow P, Harris SE. New roles and mechanism of action of BMP4 IN POSTNATAL TOOTH CYTODIFFERENTIATION "ONE 45, 2010.

Callis AN, McCann AL, Schneiderman ED, Babler WJ, Lacy ES, Hale DS. Application of basic science to cliniCAL PROBLEMS 4RADITIONAL VS HYBRID PROBLEM BASED LEARNING * $ENT %DUC

Cao Z, Jiang B, Xie Y, Liu C, Feng JQ. GEP, a local growth factor, is critical for odontogenesis and ameloGENESIS )NT "IOL 3CI

Dechow P, Wang Q, Peterson J. Edentulation alters material properties of cortical bone in the human CRANIOFACIAL SKELETON &UNCTIONAL IMPLICATIONS FOR CRANIOFACIAL STRUCTURE IN PRIMATE EVOLUTION !NAT 2EC Advances in Integrative Anatomy and Evolutionary "IOLOGY

D’Souza R, Ruest LB, Hinton R, Svoboda K. Development of the craniofacial complex. Topics in Bone "IOLOGY "ONE AND $EVELOPMENT 6OLUME #HAPTER 10), Bronner F, Farach-Carson MC and Roach HI, eds.; Springer, 2010.

Feng JQ, Guo FJ, Jiang BC, Frenkel S, Zhang Y, Wang D, Tang W, Xie Y ,IU #H 'RANULIN EPITHELIN PRECURSOR ! bond morphogenic protein 2-inducible growth factor THAT ACTIVATES %RK SIGNALING AND *UN" TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR IN CHONDROGENESIS &!3%" *OURNAL 92, 2010.

Foley CH, Kerns DG, Hallmon WW, Rivera-Hidalgo F, Nelson CJ, Spears R, Dechow PC, Opperman LA. Effect of phosphate treatment of acid-etched implants on mineral apposition rates near implants in a dog MODEL )NT * /RAL -AXILLOFAC )MPLANTS

Galler KM, Aulisa L, Regan K, D’Souza RN and Hartgerink JD. Self-assembling multidomain peptide hydroGELS $ESIGNED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO ENZYMATIC CLEAVAGE allows enhanced cell migration and spreading. J Am

Gordon M, DeSantis A, Deshmukh M, Lacey C, Hahn R, Beloni J, Anumolu S, Schlager J, Gallo M, Gerecke D, Heindel N, Svoboda K, Babin M, Sinko P. Doxycycline hydrogels as a potential therapy for ocular vesicant INJURY * /CUL 0HARMACOL 4HER

Harrington E, Coon D, Kern M and Svoboda K. PTH stimulated growth and decreased Col-X deposition are phosphotidylinositol-3,4,5 triphosphate kinase (P13K) and mitogen activating protein kinase (MAPK) dependent in avian sterna.

Anatomical Record

He D, Genecov DG, Herbert M, Barcelo CR, Elsalanty MR, Weprin RE, Opperman LA. The effect of rhBMP-2 on bone regeneration in large defects of the growing canine skull after dura mater replacement with a dura MATER SUBSTITUTE * .EUROSURG

Hu J, Smith L, Feng K, Liu X, Sun H, Ma P. Response of human embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells to osteogenic factors and architectures of materials during in vitro osteogenesis. Tissue EngineerING 0ART !

Hutchins B. A self-testing guide to the bony features of the temporal bone. Med Ed PORTAL, ADEA. Jiang B, Cao Z, Lu Y, Janik C, Lauziere S, Xie Y, Poliard A, Qin C, Ward LM, Feng J. DMP1 C-terminal mutant mice recapture the human ARHR tooth phenotype. J "ONE -INER

Kaplan F, Groppe J, Seeman P, Pignolo R, Shore E. FiBRODYSPLASIA OSSIFICANS PROGRESSIVA $EVELOPMENTAL implications of a novel metamorphogene. Bone Development (Vol. 6). Topics in Bone Biology, Chapter 14; Bronner, Farah-Carson & Roach, eds., 2010.

Kramer I, Halleux C, Keller H, Pegurri M, Gooi JH, We continued page 14

13 continued from page 11

Publications

ber PB, Feng JQ, Bonewald LF, Kneissel M. Osteocyte 7NT #ATENIN IS REQUIRED FOR NORMAL BONE HOMEOSTASIS -OL #ELL "IOL

Kramer PR, Kerins CA, Schneiderman E, Bellinger LL. Measuring persistent temporomandibular joint nociception in rats and two mice strains. Physiol Behav

Kramer PR, Puri J, Bellinger LL. Knockdown of Fc receptor III in an arthritic temporomandibular joint reduces the nociceptive response in rats. Arthritis Rheum

Liu X, Ma P. The nanofibrous architecture of poly (Llactic acid)-based functional copolymers. BiomateriALS

Lv K, Huang H, Lu Y, Qin C, Li Z, Feng J. Circling behavior developed in Dmp1 null mice is due to bone defects in THE VESTIBULAR APPARATUS )NT * "IOL 3CI

McCann AL, Schneiderman E, Hinton R. E-teaching and learning preferences of dental and dental hyGIENE STUDENTS * $ENT %DUC

Mues G, Tardivel A, Willen L, Kapadia H, Seaman R, Frazier-Bowers S, Schneider P, and D’Souza RN. Functional analysis of Ectodysplasin-A mutations causing SELECTIVE TOOTH AGENESIS %UR * (UM 'ENET

2010.

Muhney K, Dechow P. Patients’ perception of pain durING ULTRASONIC DEBRIDEMENT ! COMPARISON BETWEEN piezoelectric and magnetostrictive scalers. J Dent (YG

page 14

mote migration via RacGTP in oral fibroblast cells. J 0ERIODONTOL

Shi J, Jiao X, Song T, Zhang B, Qin C, Cao F. CRISPLD2 polymorphisms are associated with non-syndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate in a northern ChiNESE POPULATION %UR * /RAL 3CI

Smith L, Liu X, Hu J, Ma P. The enhancement of human embryonic stem cell osteogenic differentiation with NANO FIBROUS SCAFFOLDING "IOMATERIALS

2010.

Strait D, Grosse I, Dechow P, Smith A, Wang Q, et al. The structural rigidity of the cranium of australopithecus AFRICANUS )MPLICATION FOR DIET DIETARY ADAPTATIONS

and the allometry of feeding biomechanics. Anat 2EC

Sun Y, Gandhi M, Prasad M, Yu X, Wang X, Zhu Q, Feng JQ, Hinton R, Qin C. Distribution of small integrinbinding ligand, N-linked glycoproteins (SIBLING) in the condylar cartilage of rat mandible. Int J Oral MaxilLOFAC 3URG

Sun Y, Prasad M, Gao T, Wang Y, Zhu Q, D’Souza RN, Feng JQ and Qin C. Failure to process Dentin Matrix Protein 1 (DMP1) into fragments leads to its loss of funcTION IN OSTEOGENESIS * "IOL #HEM

Sun Y, Lu Y, Chen S, Prasad M, Wang X, Zhu Q, Zhang J, Ball H, Feng J, Butler WT, Qin C. Key proteolytic cleavage site and full-length form of DSPP. J Dent Res

Paschalia M, David CS, Antonios GM, Kramer PR. Intraarticular microparticles for drug delivery to the rat TMJ. * $ENT 2ES

Sun Y, Ma X, Zhou J, Yamoah A, Feng JQ, Hinton RJ, Qin C. Expression and distribution of small integrin-binding ligand, N-linked glycoproteins (SIBLING) in the articular cartilage of the rat femoral head. J Histochem CytoCHEM

Pickard M, Dechow P, Rossouw P, Buschang P. Effects of miniscrew orientation on implant stability and resistance to failure. Am J Ortho and Dentofac Ortho

Susan C, Shiavi Q, Feng J. Osteocytes and mineral meTABOLISM )N + /LGAARD ) 3LAUSKY AND * 3ILVER EDS

The Spectrum of Renal Osteodystrophy and Vascular Calcifications in Uremia; Oxford University Press, 2010.

Prasad M, Butler WT, Qin C. Dentin sialophosphoproTEIN IN BIOMINERALIZATION #ONNECT 4ISSUE 2ES

Van Bebber L, Campbell PM, Honeyman AL, Spears R, Buschang PH. Does the amount of filler content in sealants used to prevent decalcification on smooth enamel surfaces really matter? Angle Orthodontist

Sanjideh PA, Rossouw PE, Campbell PM, Opperman LA, Buschang PH. Tooth movements in foxhounds after one or two alveolar corticotomies. Euro J Orthod

San Miguel SM, Opperman LA, Allen EP, Zielinski J, Svoboda K. Antioxidants counteract nicotine and pro-

Wang J, Liu X, Jin X, Ma H, Hu J, Ni L, Ma P. The odontogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells on nanofibrous poly (l-lactic acid) scaffolds in vitro AND IN VIVO !CTA "IOMATERIALIA

continued page 15

continued from page 14

Publications/Leadership

Wang Q, Ashley D, Dechow P. Regional, ontogenetic, and sex-related variations in elastic properties of cortical bone in baboon mandibles. Am J Phys Anthrop

Wang X, Hao J, Xie Y, Sun Y, Hernandez B, Yamoah AK, Prasad M, Zhu Q, Feng JQ, Qin C. Expression of FAM20C in the osteogenesis and odontogenesis of MOUSE * (ISTOCHEM #YTOCHEM

Wei W, Wang X, Yang M, Smith L, Dechow P, Sonoda J, Evans R, Wan Y. PGC1 mediates PPAR activation of osteoclastogenesis and rosiglitazone-induced bone LOSS #ELL -ETAB

Zapata U, Elsalanty ME, Dechow PC, Opperman LA. Biomechanical configurations of mandibular transport distraction osteogenesis devices. Tissue Eng Part "

Zapata U, Metzger K, Wang Q, Elsey R, Ross C, Dechow P. Material properties of mandibular cortical bone in the American alligator, alligator mississippiensis. Bone

Zhang B, Sun Y, Chen L, Guan C, Guo L, Qin C. Expression and distribution of SIBLING proteins in the PREDENTIN DENTIN AND MANDIBLE OF HYP MICE /RAL $IS

Zhou X, Zhang Z, Feng JQ, Dusevich VM, Sinha K, Zhang H, Darney BG, de Crombrugghe B. Multiple functions of Osterix are required for bone growth and homeostasis in postnatal mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci 53!

Zhu Q, Sun Y, Prasad M, Wang X, Yamoah AK, Li Y, Feng J, Qin C. Glycosaminoglycan chain of dentin sialoproTEIN PROTEOGLYCAN * $ENT 2ES

Leadership D’Souza R, Benson MD. Reviewer, Journal of Bone and Mineral Research; Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology.

Dechow P. Member, Postdoctoral Award committee, American Association of Anatomists.

page 15

Dechow P. Reviewer Board, Anatomical Record.

Dechow P. Grant Review Boards for National Science Foundation (Physical Anthropology section; Organismal Biology section).

Dechow P. Ad hoc reviewer for Journal of Anatomy, Archives or Oral Biology, Anatomical Record, Journal of Dental Research, American Journal of Physical Anthropology, Bone, Journal of Dental Education.

D’Souza R. AADR Vice-President.

D’Souza R. Member, AADR Board of Directors; IADR and AADR Research Councils; Finance Committee; Annual Sessions Committee; IADR Regional Development Committee; Science Information Committee.

D’Souza R. Member, Editorial Board, Journal of DenTAL 2ESEARCH #RITICAL 2EVIEWS IN /RAL "IOLOGY AND Medicine.

D’Souza R. Member, NIDCR National Advisory Dental and Craniofacial Research Council.

D’Souza R. Chair, Oral Biology Section, American Dental Education Association.

D’Souza R. Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science Annual Scientific Program Committee.

Groppe J. Ad hoc reviewer, National Health & Medical Research Council, Australia.

Hinton R. Organizer and presenter at symposium h/THER 6OICES )NTEGRATION OF 2ESEARCH AND 3CHOLARship within the Dental Curriculum REVISITED. American Dental Education Association meeting, Washington, D.C. Hinton R. Member, ADA Test Construction Committee (Anatomical Sciences section).

Hinton R. Ad hoc reviewer for Bone, J Dental Research, Arch Oral Biology.

Honeyman A. Editorial Board Member, Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, Journal of Bacteriology.

Dechow P. Member FASEB committee to organize symposium and white paper on translation research initiatives in basic science; chair of subcommittee on Opportunities in Translational Research.

Honeyman A. Reviewer, Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

Dechow P. Editorial Board member, The Open Dentistry Journal; The Open Anthropology Journal.

Hutchins B. Basic Science Consultant, Commission on Dental Accreditation. continued page 16

continued from page 15

Leadership

Hutchins B. Member, American Dental Association, National Board Exam, Part 1 Testlet Committee.

Kramer P. Editorial Board Member, Open Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine, The Open Rheumatology Journal.

Kramer P. Reviewer, Stem Cells and Development, European Journal of Pain, Tissue Engineering, Oral Pathology and Medicine.

Kramer P. Grant reviewer, NIDCR study section ZRG1 MOSS-N.

page 16

Chemistry and Biology of Mineralized Tissues.

2EUBEN * -EMBER &!3%" -!2# -INORITY !CCESS TO Research Careers) Advisory Board.

Reuben J. Member, American Society for Investigative Pathology (ASIP), Committee for Career Development, Women and Minorities (CCDWM).

Reuben J. Poster judge (Neurosciences), Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students.

Reuben J. Abstract reviewer, SACNAS (Advancing HisPANICS #HICANOS .ATIVE !MERICANS IN 3CIENCE

Lu Y. Oral Session chair, AADR annual meeting.

Liu X. Reviewer, Acta Biomaterialia, Biomaterials, Journal of Biomedical Materials Research Parts A and B, Annals of Biomedical Engineering, Journal of BioMEDICAL .ANOTECHNOLOGY #OLLOIDS AND 3URFACES " Biointerfaces.

Mues G. Reviewer, Orthodontics and Craniofacial Research, Journal of Dental Research, Clinical Genetics.

Opperman L. Life Sciences Committee, Technology Business Council, Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce.

Opperman L. Member, Program Committee, American Association of Anatomists.

Opperman L. Member, Executive Board, American Association of Anatomists.

Opperman L. Member, Editorial Board, Developmental Dynamics, Frontiers in Craniofacial Biology.

Reuben J. Abstract reviewer for EB 2011, ASIP graduate students.

Ruest L.B., member, American Association of Anatomists (AAA) Advisory Committee for Young Anatomists.

Ruest LB. Member, Organizing Committee, Texas A&M Health Science Center Research Symposium.

Schneiderman Education.

E.

Reviewer,

Journal

of

Dental

Schneiderman E. Pilot award reviewer, North and Central Texas Clinical and Translational Science Initiative.

Spears R. AADR National Student Research Group Faculty Advisor.

Spears R. Member, AADR Fellowships Committee.

Spears R. ADA CODA Site Reviewer.

Speas R. ADA Student Clinician Program Advisor.

Opperman L. Member, Scientific Advisory Board, Journal of Endodontics. /PPERMAN , 2EVIEWER .)( .)$#2 3PECIAL %MPHASIS Panel for P01 grants.

Opperman L. Grant reviewer, National Research Foundation of South Africa.

Qin C. Editorial Board member, Journal of Dental Research, Journal of Endodontics.

Spears R. ADEA Council of Faculties; Member, Reference Committee for Association Administration Affairs, Member, Annual Session Mentorship Program.

Spears R. Member, ADEA Commission on Change and Innovation.

Spears R. Member, Hinman National Student Symposium, Advisory Board.

Spears R. Member, Texas State Anatomical Board.

1IN # 'RANT REVIEWER .)( .)$#2 1IN # 3ECRETARY 4REASURER )!$2 !!$2 -INERALIZED 4ISsue Group.

Qin C. Session chair, AADR annual meeting (Washington, D.C.); 10th International Conference on the

Spears R. Accreditation Site Reviewer, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

Svoboda K. Chair, Experimental Biology Board of Directors, American Association of Anatomists (AAA) representative. continued page 17

continued from page 16 14

Grants

Svoboda K. AAA Fellows Committee.

Svoboda K. AAA 125th Anniversary Planning Committee.

Svoboda K. Board member, EMT International Association.

Svoboda K. Women in Eye and Vision Research Luncheon Program Committee.

Svoboda K. Member, PerioScience Scientific Board.

Svoboda K. Organizer, Extracellular Matrix in Health and Disease Symposium and dinner.

Svoboda K. Member, Editorial Board, Developmental Dynamics, Anatomical Record, The European Journal of Dentistry.

Grants (unless otherwise noted, dollar amounts are total costs)

PAGE

ery Act Limited Competition Supporting New Faculty 2ECRUITMENT .)( .)$#2 0 $%

&ENG * $-0 MUTATIONS $EFECTS IN ODONTOGENESIS .)( .)$#2 2 $% ANNUAL direct).

Feng J. Effects of mechanical strain on osteocyte funcTION .)( .)!-3 0 !2

(annual direct).

Feng J. Disturbance of phosphate homeostasis changes in osteocyte morphology and function. Genzyme Renal Innovations Program; 2008-2011; $50,000 (annual total).

Feng J. Studies of the roles of DMP1 and DSPP in OSTEOGENESIS AND DENTINOGENESIS .)( .)$#2 2 $%

Benson MD. Role of ephrins in osteoblast differentiaTION .)( .)$#2 2 $%

Feng J, Dechow P. Evaluation of the mandible bone PHENOTYPE OF GENE ALTERED ANIMALS AND OR THE EFFECTS of novel bone active compounds in animal models. !MGEN )NC 0,

Benson MD. Ephrin inhibition of regeneration after spinal cord injury. Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation; 2011-2012; $150,000.

Groppe J. Mechanisms of BMP receptor kinase dysREGULATION IN SKELETAL DYSPLASIAS .)( .)!-3 2 !2

Dechow P. Integrative analysis of hominid feeding BIOMECHANICS .3&

Groppe J. Structural basis of ACVR1 dysregulation in fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. Center for Research in FOP and Related Disorders, UPenn School of Medicine; 2006-2012; $100,000.

D’Souza R (PI). Regulation of Runx2 function by Twist-1 IN TOOTH DEVELOPMENT .)( .)$#2 2 $% 2011; $1,185,280.

D’Souza R (PI); Mues G (Co-I). Signaling mechanisms in EARLY TOOTH DEVELOPMENT .)( .)$#2 2 $% 2008-2012; $1,495,000. Administrative Collaborative 3UPPLEMENT

D’Souza R (PI), Hartgerink J (Co-I), Schmalz G (Co-I).

Nanostructured peptide hydrogels and stem cells for DENTIN PULP COMPLEX REGENERATION )!$2 'LAXOSmithKline Innovation in Oral Care Award; 2009-2011;

D’Souza R, Dechow P and Adams P (Co-directors). " 34!23 "AYLOR S COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH TRAINING 4 PROGRAM FOR DENTIST SCIENTISTS .)( .)$#2 4 DE018380-01A1; 2008-2012; $1,600,000.

D’Souza R (PI), Dechow P and Bellinger L (Co-investigators). Baylor’s P30 program for bioengineering SCIENCES AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH h" "%34v 2ECOV-

Hinton RJ (Co-PI), Berry C (Co-PI), Dechow P (Collaborator); D’Souza R (Collaborator), Bellinger L (ColLABORATOR #530)$ "AYLOR S /RAL (EALTH 2ESEARCH %DUCATION 'RANT .)( .)$#2 2 $%

$600,000.

Honeyman A. Analysis of carbohydrate transport specificity in S. mutans. NIH NIDCR Pathogen Functional Genomics Resource Center Award. Ongoing; materials only.

Honeyman A. Identification of P. gingivalis virulence factors. NIH NIDCR Pathogen Functional Genomics Resource Center Award. Ongoing; materials only.

Honeyman A. In vitro analysis of Socklt on an Enterococcus faecalis biofilm. McMerlin Dental. Ongoing.

(UTCHINS " "ASIC SCIENCES TAUGHT IN .ORTH !MERICA ! survey of current practices. ADEA; 2009-2010; $5350.

Mues G. EDA pathway mutations in non-syndromic tooth continued page 18

Grants

continued from page 17

AGENESIS .)( .)$#2 2 $% !

Opperman L. Curvilinear mandibular bone reconSTRUCTION PLATE .)( .)$#2 2 $% 2010; $42,968.

Opperman L, Dechow P. Improved bone transport reCONSTRUCTION PLATE .)( .)$#2 2 $%

!22! 3UPPLEMENT TO GRANT

Opperman L. Osseoinductive surface treatment for DENTAL IMPLANTS .)( .)$#2 3")2 2 $%

Opperman L (Collaborator). Role of ephrins in osteoBLAST DIFFERENTIATION .)( .)$#2 2 $% 2010-2012; $150,000.

Qin C. Studies of the roles of DMP1 and DSPP in osTEOGENESIS AND DENTINOGENESIS .)( .)$#2 2 $%

page 18

vascular development. American Heart Association "')!

Spears R (Co-PI). Use of a novel microstimulatory device to treat chronic pain. NIDCR SBIR Phase I R43 $% !22! 3UPPLEMENT TO this grant; 2009-2010; $16,240.

Spears R (Co-PI). Physical and biological properties of a new endodontic material. American Association of Endodontists Foundation; 2010-2011; $8500.

Spears R (consultant). Instrument system and techNIQUE FOR MINIMALLY INVASIVE PERIODONTAL SURGERY .)( NIDCR R43 SBIR Phase II grant; 2010-2011; $110,655.

Spears R (Co-PI). Assessment of osseous wound healing using HemCon dental dressing. American AssoCIATION OF %NDODONTISTS &OUNDATION Svoboda K; Ruest LB. Leica SP5 confocal microscope for Texas A&M Health Science Center. NIH; 2010-2011;

Qin C. Studies of the roles of DMP1 and DSPP in osTEOGENESIS AND DENTINOGENESIS .)( .)$#2 2 $% ! 3 !22! 3UPL

Svoboda K. Visualizing cell scaffold interactions in real time. NIH P30 pilot project; 2010-2011; $20,000.

1IN # $-0 MUTATIONS $EFECTS IN ODONTOGENESIS .)( .)$#2 2 $%

Svoboda K. Animal models for antioxident therapy.

Periosciences; 2010-2011; $80,552.

Qin C. Studies of the roles of DMP1 and DSPP in osTEOGENESIS AND DENTINOGENESIS .)( .)$#2 2 $% ! 3 !22! 3UPPLEMENT EQUIPMENT GRANT

Svoboda K. Testing antioxidant compounds on gingival fibrlblast cells; 2008-2010; $60,000.

Ruest LB. Endothelin-A receptor function in cardio-

Contacting The Department

Svoboda K. Regulation of EMT during palate development. March of Dimes Foundation; 2006-2010; $250,800.

http://bcd.tamhsc.edu/education/bms/index.html

Chair’s Office Rena N. D'Souza, DDS, PhD Professor and Chair 0( rdsouza@bcd.tamhsc.edu

Departmental Office Nancy Anthony Administrative Assistant 0( nanthony@bcd.tamhsc.edu

Paul Dechow, PhD Professor and Vice-Chair 0( pdechow@bcd.tamhsc.edu

Graduate Programs Kathy Svoboda, PhD Professor & Graduate Program Director 0( ksvoboda@bcd.tamhsc.edu

Undergraduate Education Robert Hinton, PhD Professor Director of Predoctoral Teaching and Faculty Mentoring 0( bhinton@bcd.tamhsc.edu Bob Hutchins, PhD Associate Professor Director of Instructional Technology 0( bhutchins@bcd.tamhsc.edu