The National Institutes of Health awarded Dr. Huojun Cao, assistant professor in the Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research and the Department of Endodontics, a 2-year grant for his project, “Identification of Master Transcription Factors of Dental Epithelial Stem Cell by Computational Method.” Read more on the College of Dentistry website.

Dr. Shaoping Zhang received a $30K Colgate Award for Research Excellence (CARE). The program is designed to help junior faculty members by providing seed funds for research. Dr. Zhang’s project is aimed at identifying and assessing inflammatory biomarkers in patient’s gingival crevicular fluid for each stage in a recently developed periodontal profile classification (PPC) system through a data-driven machine learning approach. Read more about Dr. Zhang’s project on the College of Dentistry website.

In February, the College of Dentistry announced that Dr. Butali was awarded a $3.2M National Institutes of Health grant for research identifying new genetic variants of cleft lip in African populations with the goal of understanding the pathogenesis of the condition. In that study, Dr. Butali and his team have opportunities to identify other genetic conditions (such as sickle cell anemia) in the course of their research that could be addressed medically. These new grant funds will identify the best way to ethically handle these possible secondary findings. Read more on the College of Dentistry website.

At the All College Meeting on August 17, Dr. Leonardo Marchini was presented with the James H. and Hermine E. McLeran Faculty Award.  Whether in research, teaching, or clinical work, Dr. Marchini exemplifies a unified vision of and commitment to dental education, excellence in teaching, and patient-centered care, which are the characteristics recognized in the James H. and Hermine E. McLeran Faculty Award. Read more on the College of Dentistry website.

Dr. Aline Petrin, an associate research scientist in the Iowa Institute of Oral Health Research, received an NIH K-award last year, totaling almost $700K for her study using discordant monozygotic twins to detect key epigenetics factors that play a causal role in orofacial clefts. Dr. Petrin received an additional $25K as part of a K Award Boost pilot grant program at the University of Iowa. Dr. Petrin's proposal "was among the highest ranked in the review process" for the award.

Dr. Sukirth Ganesan, assistant professor in the Department of Periodontics, was awarded a CHF 30K grant for his project, “Spatial Co-Localization of Immune And Microbial Cell Populations In Peri-Implantitis Lesions: A Quantitative And Architectural Analysis.” Read more about the project on the College of Dentistry website.

The American Association of Orthodontists Foundation awarded Dr. Kyungsup Shin and his team a $30,000 grant for their research on using extracellular vesicles to regenerate condylar fibrocartilage in the jaw (temporomandibular joint). This research lays the groundwork for new non-invasive treatments for degenerative jaw disorders. Find out more about the project on the College of Dentistry website.

The American Association for Dental Research received a $1.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The grant funds are being used develop, mentor, and support a diverse and inclusive network of oral health and dental researchers. Dr. David Drake is one of the co-principal investigators and Director of the Midwest Hub for this national project. Read more on the College of Dentistry website.

A team of faculty members, led by Drs. John Warren, Howard Cowen, and Kecia Leary, have received a grant from US Department of Health and Human Services to establish an advanced combined training program in Dental Public Health and either Geriatric and Special Needs Dentistry or Pediatric Dentistry. Read more on the College of Dentistry website.

The National Institutes of Health awarded Dr. Hongli Sun a five-year grant totaling over $1.7 million for his research on a novel nanofibrous drug delivery system that helps rejuvenate and repair bones. Read more on the College of Dentistry website.

Dr. Shankar Rengasamy Venugopalan, Dr. Brad Amendt, and their team received the Biomedical Research Award, a one-year $30,000 grant, from the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation for his project, “Analyses of microRNA Target-site Polymorphisms in Craniofacial Microsomia.” Read more on the College of Dentistry website. 

Dr. Isabelle Denry’s innovative research continues to pay off. The NIH awarded Dr. Denry a 2-year grant for $424,875 to contine developing a self-assembled gallo-silicate microsphere material with unique blood-clotting properties. Read more on the College of Dentistry website.