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The
primary focus of the Craniofacial Biology Research
Laboratory is study of the biology of normal
calvarial morphogenesis and of the pathophysiology of
craniosynostosis. Using a murine model of intrauterine
constraint, we are examining the influence of biomechanical
force on the developing calvarium and the underlying
dura.
We have recently completed the
development of a versatile system that to examine the
effects of intermittent hydrostatic compression on fetal
calvaria in organ culture and upon the behavior of calvarial
osteoblasts and dural cells in culture.
Additional studies in our laboratory
have recently documented the expression of androgen
receptors in the fetal skull and underlying dura. Ongoing
experiments examine influence of androgen signaling
on osteoblast differentiation and calvarial morphogenesis
and seek to determine if the effects of androgen stimulation
are synergistic with those of biomechanical stress.
Another area of active investigation
in our laboratory is that which examines the behavior
of calcium phosphate and other bone substitutes in both
skeletally mature and skeletally immature animal models.
We have recently begun to examine the utility of these
materials as a hybrid synthetic grafts for osteoinductive
gene delivery in craniofacial reconstruction. Ongoing
studies also examine the utility of acellular dermal
matrices in the surgical repair of oronasal fistulae.
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