2012 Science Day Addresses Regenerative Medicine
2012 Science Day was held at the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) on March 15. The day featured a wealth of events for students, faculty, and staff alike. The highlight of the day was the keynote lecture titled, “Regenerative Medicine: New Approaches to Healthcare,” by Dr. Anthony Atala. Dr. Atala is the Director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the W.H.Boyce Professor and Chair of the Department of Urology at Wake Forest University. His lecture addressed the need for transplants among patients with diseased or injured organs and the severe shortage of donor organs currently available. He explained how regenerative medicine and tissue engineering apply the principles of cell transplantation, material sciences, and bioengineering to construct biological substitutes that may restore and maintain normal function in diseased and injured tissues.
“Our selection of Dr. Atala as the keynote speaker to present his extraordinary research findings in the area of tissue regeneration and repair emphasizes how science drives clinical applications to healthcare,” said Science Day host and GSDM Associate Dean for Research Maria Kukuruzinska. “Dr. Atala’s topic is timely, as scientists search for strategies to regenerate and repair damaged salivary glands following radiation treatment for head and neck cancers and in autoimmune exocrinopathy disorders, such as Sjogren’s Syndrome.”
Pre and post-doctoral students, as well as post-doctoral fellows, also presented their research in both poster and oral formats.
And in an interesting side note about the strength of these presentations and overall research at GSDM, one student actually presented his first poster before even matriculating here at the School. Hamidreza (Hamid) Fakhri has been accepted to the Advanced Standing Class of 2014 and presented “New Frontiers in Anticoagulation Therapy: a Guide for Dental Professionals,” with Dr. Sok-Ja Janket.
“I am so happy that Dr. Janket accepted me as a student,” Hamid says. “Working and learning under her supervision is one of the best opportunities I ever had.”
Hamid will be on campus as an official GSDM student starting in August.
The winners of this year’s Science Day include:
Pre-doctoral Student Poster Presentation:
Sultan Muhammad, Gangli Liu, Pritam Sengupta, Basem Jamal, Meghan Bouchie, and Maria Kukuruzinska. Molecular & Cell Biology: “Upregulation of Cthrc1 N-glycoprotein Marks OSCC Tumor Spread.”
Post-doctoral Student Poster Presentation:
Lea El Hachem, Eva Helmerhorst, and Frank Oppenheim. Periodontology & Oral Biology: “Histatin 5 Antifungal Activity Towards C. albicans and C. glabrata.”
Post-doctoral Fellow Poster Presentation:
Balazs Nemeth, Miklós Sahin-Tóth. Molecular & Cell Biology: “Trypsinogen Isoforms in the Mouse Pancreas.”
Pre-doctoral Student Oral Presentation:
Ray English, Meghan Bouchie, and Maria Kukuruzinska. Molecular & Cell Biology: “Hippo Signaling Pathway in Submandibular Gland Development: Potential Interplay with N-glycosylation.”
Post-doctoral Student Oral Presentation:
Debora Heller, Eva Helmerhorst, Bruce Paster, and Frank Oppenheim. Periodontology & Oral Biology: “Microarray Based Characterization of Early In Vivo Acquired Enamel Pellicle Colonizers.”
Post-doctoral Fellow Oral Presentation:
Sebastian Beer and Miklós Sahin-Tóth. Molecular & Cell Biology: “Functional Defects Caused by Chymotrypsin C (CTRC) Mutations in Chronic Pancreatitis.”
ADA/Dentsply Award:
Nathan Ng, Elizabeth Krall Kaye, and Raul Garcia. Health Policy & Health Services Research: “Coffee Consumption and Periodontal Disease in Men.”
Winners will be honored at the upcoming Science Day Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, April 10.
“I’d like to thank Dr. Maria Kukuruzinska and her staff for putting together such a comprehensive event, featuring cutting-edge research, and highlighting the work of our students and fellows,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter. “This was a wonderful day of science and I applaud all who participated.”
Also during Science Day a vendor fair was hosted by Student Affairs in the GSDM Cafeteria, where students, faculty, and staff could meet with vendors to check out new equipment, sample products, and place orders for the latest, most innovative dental instruments.
Said Assistant Dean of Students Dr. Joseph Calabrese, “The Science Day Vendor Fair was a great success. We were very pleased with the interest and participation level of the students and grateful to the vendors who were able to attend.”
Photos from the day’s events are available on facebook and flickr.