Our Labs

The Emrick lab studies the molecules, cells, and circuitry of the sensory nervous system innervating the mouth, head, and neck to understand how it all encodes oral and craniofacial information, contributes to normal tissue function, and ultimately drives reflexes and perceptions.

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.

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.

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.

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.

By molecular and genetic dissection of the breathing-control circuitry, our laboratory studies the function of neural populations that control breathing rhythms and behaviors (such as sighing), and the pathophysiology of diseases with breathing abnormality.

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.

TThe Lombaert Lab determines how stem cells participate in the formation of branching organs (e.g., salivary glands) and how they respond to various external and internal cues in normal, damaged or diseased environments.

The Ma laboratory is focused on tissue engineering 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.

The Mishina Laboratory explores 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.

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.

The Simmer Hu 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.