Research Mentors and their Interests

Christopher W. Cutler, D.D.S., Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Periodontics

Fred S. Ferguson, D.D.S.
Distinguished Teaching Professor
Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry

Research Interests:
Oral health concerns for pediatric and special needs patients,
development of training protocols for health professionals.

Philias R. Garant, D.M.D.
Professor
Department of Periodontics

Research Interests: Cell structure. Connective tissue.

Soosan Ghazizadeh, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Oral Biology and Pathology

Research Interests:
Therapeutic gene transfer to skin epithelial stem cells for the treatment of inherited disorders. Understanding host immune responses in cutaneous gene therapy and developing new strategies to divert destructive immune responses. Epithelial stem cell biology and lineage.

Lorne M. Golub, D.M.D., MSc, M.D. (Honorary)
Distinguished Professor
Department of Oral Biology and Pathology

Research Interests:
Development of new biologically — based oral diagnostic techniques;
mechanisms of collagen breakdown during various dental and medical
diseases including the role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs)
e.g. collagenase; development of tetracycline-based MMP inhibitors
(e.g. subantimicrobial doxycycline or Periostat, and chemically-modified
 tetracyclines) as new therapeutic agents for these diseases.

Vincent J. Iacono, D.M.D.
Professor and Chair
Department of Periodontics

Research Interests:
Dental implants, biomimetics/tissue engineering, periodontal medicine

Israel Kleinberg, D.D.S., Ph.D., D.Sc., F.R.C.D.(C)
Distinguished Professor and Chair
Department of Oral Biology and Pathology

Research Interests:
Identification of peptides, salivary factors and analogues involved in the in the growth and metabolism of oral mixed bacterial populations; pharmaceutical application of salivary components in the control of dental caries and oral putrefaction; dental plaque composition formation and metabolism; control of microbial populations orally and elsewhere with growth factors and growth inhibitors; new oral diagnostic techniques.

Jerry Pollock, Ph.D.
Professor Emeritus
Department of Oral Biology and Pathology

Research Interests:
Natural salivary host defense systems; role of natural products in prevention of oral and systemic disease; Y-chromosome genetic mapping for Judaic genealogy determination; use of the antioxidants, Coenzyme Q 10 and Alpha-Lipoic Acid, in the treatment and prevention of periodontal disease

Nungavarm S. Ramamurthy, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Research Professor Emeritus
Department of Oral Biology and Pathology

Research Interests:
Connective tissue metabolism. Collagen remodelling in the soft and
hard tissues. Wound healing in normal status and during endocrine
 (estrogen and Insulin) deficiency. Special emphasis on matrix
metalloproteinase inhibitors.

Louis Ripa, D.D.S., M.S., M.A.
Distinguished Professor Emeritus
Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry

Research Interests:
Cariology, Caries Prevention, Caries Epidemiology

Maria E. Ryan, D.D.S., Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Oral Biology and Pathology

Research Interests:
Development of new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities
 for the management of periodontal disease. Special emphasis
 on diabetes and other oral-systemic disease links.

Marcia Simon, Ph.D.
Professor and Associate Dean for Research
Department of Oral Biology and Pathology

Research Interest:
Development and production of cell based therapies for the treatment of partial and full thickness injury to oral, cutaneous and ocular surfaces; regulation of epithelial differentiation and of the stem/progenitor cell compartments of the skin and subcutaneous fat; retinoid and non-retinoid lipid metabolism in epithelial and mesenchymal cells.

Lorne B. Taichman, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Oral Biology and Pathology
Department of Dermatology

Research Interests:
Therapeutic gene transfer to skin and mucous membranes for the treatment of inherited epithelial disorders and for systemic delivery of bioactive hormone, enzymes, lipid-carrying proteins for generalized metabolic disorders.

Mary Truhlar, D.D.S., M.S.
Associate Professor and Chair
Department of General Dentistry

Research Interests:
Restorative procedures and dental materials for the older adult. Epidemiological trends in utilization of dental services by medically compromised and physically disabled older adults.

Stephen G. Walker, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Oral Biology and Pathology

Research Interests:
The cell surface of Gram-negative oral bacteria with an emphasis on the lipopolysaccharide and outer membrane proteins; attachment of oral bacteria to host cells; anthrax and terrorism; microbial diagnostics.

Mark S. Wolff, D.D.S.,Ph.D.
Adjunct Professor
Department of Oral Biology and Pathology

Research Interests:
Clinical trials on humans relating to periodontal disease, dental caries, oral malodor, dentinal hypersensitivity and tooth whitening. Activities include FDA Phase I, II and III trials; dental materials research and their bio-compatibility.