A journal cover. A honor given to the residency research program
The sections of Prosthodontics, Special Patient Care (SPC) and Maxillofacial (MFP), and Weintraub Center started a residency research program in November, 2021. The second publication from the program was selected as a journal cover. Hard-earned accomplished by residents, clinical faculty members, research faculty members, and postdoctoral researcher has been flourished.
Conditional Mitigation of Dental-Composite Material-Induced Cytotoxicity by Increasing the Cure Time
World’s Top 2% Scientists
Drs. Ben Wu, Ichiro Nishimura, and Takahiro Ogawa in the Division of Advanced Prosthodontics and Weintraub Center were identified as Top 2% Scientists in the world scientist ranking.
Stanford University identified Top 2% Scientists worldwide and published it on October 19, 2021 in an article “Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators”. The ranking was based on a comprehensive metrics including citations, h-index, co-authorship adjusted hm-index, and a composite indicator for career-long impact, developed by John Ioannidis and his team in Stanford University and conducted across all scientists and scientific disciplines.
Seven other active faculty members from the UCLA School of Dentistry were ranked within top 2% (Drs. David Wong, Cun-Yu Wang, Paul Krebsbach, Shane White, Kathryn Atchison, Francisco Ramos-Gomez, and Diana Messadi). We congratulate all these colleagues on their distinguished accomplishment and the highest honor.
World’s Top 2% Scientists
(2020 single-year ranking)
Drs. Ben Wu, Takahiro Ogawa, Min Lee, and Alireza Moshaverinia in the Division of Advanced Prosthodontics and Weintraub Center were named as World’s Top 2% Scientists in the 2020 single-year ranking.
Continuing from the article above, Stanford University has just named and reported the top 2% scientists worldwide across all disciplines. The report “Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators” was prepared by a team of experts led by Prof. John Ioannidis, the eminent Professor at the Stanford University.
Together with the career-long ranking (the article above), they announced a single-year ranking based on the data of 2020. The ranking was conducted based on citations, h-index, co-authorship-adjusted hm-index, citations to papers in different authorship positions, and a composite indicator, providing standardized information on the identification of most influential scientists.
Seven other active faculty members from UCLA School of Dentistry (Drs. Cun-Yu Wang, Paul Krebsbach, Tara Aghaloo, David Wong, Kathryn Atchison, Diana Messadi, and Francisco Ramos-Gomez) were also identified as Top 2%. We congratulate all these colleagues on their distinguished accomplishment and the highest honor.
First publication from the sections’ residency research program
The sections of Prosthodontics, Special Patient Care (SPC) and Maxillofacial (MFP), and Weintraub Center started a residency research program in November, 2021. We are excited to see the first publication stemmed from the program after a hard work of the team consisting of residents, clinical faculty members, research faculty members, and postdoctoral researcher.
Immunotherapy targeting cancer
Dr Anahid Jewett, a professor in Weintraub Center has published a book entitled “Breaking tolerance to anti-cancer cell-mediated immunotherapy. Dr Jewett’s laboratory work in immunotherapy has been showcased in this book. The chapters are all on different aspects of NK and T cell immunotherapy and written by top experts in the field and a great reference book for clinicians and researchers in the field of NK and T cell immunotherapy. The cover demonstrate how defect in patient NK cells influences the success of chemotherapy and radiation.
Maxillofacial resident in the spotlight
Mary Lou Juanatas, UCLA Maxillofacial Prosthetics Fellow, won a second place in the American Academy of Maxillofacial Prosthetics (AAMP) poster competition. She presented a poster titled "Prosthetic rehabilitation with a closed-bulb overlay-obturator for a pediatric patient with rhabdomyosarcoma: A clinical report" at the 2022 Annual Conference in Austin, TX.
Maxillofacial resident in the spotlight
Stella C Stavrou, UCLA Maxillofacial Prosthetics Fellow, is a selected finalist in the American Academy of Maxillofacial Prosthetics (AAMP) poster competition. She presented a poster on the "Use of zygomatic implants to retain total rhinectomy nasal prostheses: a case series" at the 2022 Annual Conference in Austin, TX.
Science Day 2022
Division and Weintraub Center Science Day is scheduled on Friday June 3, 2022 at Luskin Conference Center.
The Harvard School of Dental Medicine Goldhaber Award goes to Dr Ichiro Nishimura
The Goldhaber Award is the highest research honor, goes to a recipient who is held in international esteem in his/her field relating to oral and systemic health. Dr Nishimura was selected to the 2021 awardee for his outstanding accomplishment and contribution to the field of dental medicine and science. His awardee lecture is scheduled on October 20, 2021 at 9 am (LA time) or 12 noon (Eastern time) via zoom. See the detail of the award.
To help special needs patients in Los Angeles
Dr Eric Sung and his team were recently notified of a grant support from the Nicholas Endowment which will provide oral health care services to special needs patients in the Los Angeles community. The amount awarded is $50,000 to provide program support for outpatient general anesthesia within our clinic for approximately 40-65 special needs patients over the course of a 12-month period.
Weintraub Center moving forward to the next decade: NIH congratulates 20-year success of Weintraub Center
Weintraub Center for Reconstructive Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary research center in the Division of Advanced Prosthodontics and has a common goal of regenerating functional tissues in the oral and facial area which were lost due to cancer, injury, and congenital diseases. The center has completed the 20-year site visit/assessment of NIH facility construction grant C06RR014529. The grant was obtained by the effort of the Director Emeritus Dr. Ichiro Nishimura 20 years ago and the fund has been used to construct, improve, and maintain the Weinraub Center as a leading research team in the field.
The NIH site visit was conducted on June 29, 2021 and the comprehensive report of the outcome of 20 years, including the overview of the facility, usage of the facility, and maintenance of the facility, was presented to 6 members of the NIH Office of Research Infrastructure Program. The members unanimously praised and congratulated the accomplishment and on-going successful trajectory of the center. The report was compiled by Dr Takahiro Ogawa and presented by Drs Ben Wu and Takahiro Ogawa.
Multifunctional engineered implant surface
Drs Moshaverinia and Ogawa’s collaborative work was published and highlighted in the special issue of the Journal of Dental Research: Interface between Materials and Oral Biology. In this innovative work, they developed an innovative implant surface for the purpose of enhancing bone-implant interactions and minimizing microbial infections at implant sites to treat peri-implantitis.
Dr Takahiro Ogawa to deliver a lecture in digital dentistry conference
Dr Ogawa delivered a lecture on UV activation/photofunctionalization of dental implants in the digital implant dentistry symposium. UV activation is a chair-side treatment of dental implants to increase their ability to integrate with bone. Dr Ogawa is an inventor and pioneer of the technology.
For better dental services, training, and oral health literacy
Dr Eric Sung and his team received the Harbor Regional Center Grant of $150,000. The aim of this grant will be to increase access to dental services, enhance training capacity for providers to treat the IDD population, and improve oral health literacy for Harbor Regional Center Clients.
Dental implant activation
Dr Takahiro Ogawa and his research lab called Team Surface received a $150,000 funding from DIO Implant to support his research on implant activation technology. Dr Ogawa is an inventor and pioneer of UV activation technology for dental and orthopedic surgical implants. The technology is expected to provide a solution to overcome current challenges in implant therapy. DIO Implant is a rapidly growing global company of dental implants and digital dentistry.
Engineered hydrogel sheet for plastic surgery and dentistry
The work by Dr Moshaverinia and his team on gingival mesenchymal stem cell-mediated tissue engineering was recently selected as the cover and published in the journal Biomaterials Science and Tissue Engineering: https://pubs.acs.org/toc/abseba/7/8
Outreaching of UCLA Special Patient Care
Dr Eric Sung and his team received a $60,000 grant from the Shapiro family foundation to support a Special Patient Care Advocate that is dedicated to Expand the reach of UCLA Special Patient Care beyond UCLA.
Cell-free bone regeneration
Dr. Jiabing Fan, Associate Project Scientist in Dr. Lee’s lab receives $312,000 funding from National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to study extracellular vesicles for craniofacial regeneration. In this project, Dr. Fan will develop new cell-free approaches to promote bone defect repair in collaboration with Dr. Min Lee and Dr. Tara Aghaloo. His work has been published in ACS Nano. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsnano.0c05122
Special Patient Care program to expand
Dr Eric Sung and his team have now officially launched a cross-campus collaboration with Luskin School Special Patient Care Fellowship. We have a master of social welfare intern working in our clinic assisting the patients and their family.
Pursuing zirconia as the next generation implant material
Dr Ogawa and his research lab called Team Surface received a $280,000 funding from Nantoh Co. to support his research on the development of new material and surface for dental implants. Dr Ogawa is an expert in implant biology and surface sciences of various biomaterials. A novel, biomimetic meso-and-nano hybrid surface design of zirconia outperforms currently used titanium surfaces for their capability to make bone around it. Click images at below.
Research Day Award goes to Dr Kondo
Dr. Takeru Kondo, Assistant Project Scientist in Dr. Nishimura’s Lab at the Weintraub Center received the 1st place award at the UCLA School of Dentistry Research Day poster competition in the PhD/Postdoc category. The title of his presentation was “Bacterial DNA Initiates Periodontitis through the TLR9/Ctsk Axis”.
Research Day Award goes to Dr Ko
Dr. Meng-Wei Ko, PhD student in Dr. Jewett’s Lab at the Weintraub Center received the 3rd place award at the UCLA School of Dentistry Research Day poster competition in the PhD/Postdoc category.
The title of her presentation was “Proteomics, single cell secretome and RNA-sequencing analysis of super-charged NK cells”.
Presenting 2019 Advanced Prosthodontics Teaching Award
Dr. Shahriar Parvizpour, Dr. Michael O. Hamada and Dr. Jay Jayanetti
To receive one of these three awards is truly a testimony to your accomplishments as a teacher and mentor. We want to thank you for all you have done to make the education at UCLA more impactful and meaningful for our students, residents, and trainees. See more info in Faculty page.
Science Day 2019
Program booklet
Abstracts
Annual Science Day of the Division of Advanced Prosthodontics and Weintraub Center was held at Luskin Conference Center on Friday, June 14, 2019
New nanoparticle for treatment of bone defects
Dr. Lee and his team developed a nanoparticle that could improve treatment of bone defects. The study was published in the journal Science Advances. By using their nanoparticle, which they found has intrinsic bone-forming capabilities, along with the addition of therapeutic drugs, they were able to speed up the bone regeneration process. Their nanoparticle-packaged drugs will be useful in many clinical situations where bone grafting is required to treat non-healing skeletal defects and related bone pathologies.
Targeted gene delivery vector for bone regeneration
A research team lead by Dr. Lee developed a new bone-targeted nanoparticle with intrinsically bone forming capabilities that has proven effective in delivering therapeutic genes for bone regeneration. The advance provides a versatile nanocarrier platform for more efficient and safe gene therapy and drug delivery applications. The study was published in Advance Functional Materials.
Tuning bone cement for better hip replacement and spine surgery
Dr Takahiro Ogawa and his team, called Team Surface, designed a new orthopedic bone cement by using a novel polymerization initiator. Adverse side-effects of bone cement have been a great concern in the field of orthopedic surgery, such as total hip replacement, and knee and spine reconstructions. Dr Ogawa’s team made a strategy to alleviate the generation of toxic molecules during cement polymerization by improving the efficacy and completeness of the chain reaction. Dr Ogawa’s pursuit in polymer science has received a funding of $200,000 from Mitsui Chemical Inc.
Academy membership to Dr Moshaverinia
Dr Moshaverinia has been approved to become a fellow of Academy of Osseointegration and it will be officially announced in the AO annual meeting in Seattle in March.
Prototype development in zirconia implants by Dr Ogawa and his team
Dr Ogawa’s lab, Team Surface, has made significant progress in developing a new dental implant based on allergy-free, biocompatible, and esthetic material, zirconia. They have been successful in designing a novel zirconia surface that shows a considerably stronger performance of bone bonding than current titanium surfaces. Dr Ogawa’s team has received a funding of $280,000 from Nantoh Inc. to support zirconia research. A new zirconia surface carries nano-scale, unique structures shown below.
New approach to bone regeneration by Dr Moshaverinia and his team
A paper entitled “An engineered cell-laden adhesive hydrogel promotes craniofacial bone tissue regeneration in rats” by Dr Moshaverinia and his team has been accepted for publication in Science Translational Medicine.
Dr. Nishimura’s Team at the Weintraub Center received a UCLA Innovation Fund to Accelerate Facial Skin Wound Healing
Major facial injuries from cancers, burns or fractures obviously influence numerous social consequences for patients. Even minor facial scarring of cleft lip repair can exhibit significant psychosocial impact resulting in a decreased satisfaction with life and an altered perception of body image. Dr. Nishimura’s research team at the Weintraub Center unexpectedly found beautiful skin wound healing in their Npas2 mutant mice. They immediately performed a high throughput drug screening, resulting in a hit compound that helped to heal mouse skin wound without hypertrophic scarring. The recently awarded UCLA Innovation Fund will accelerate the drug development to help our patients and surgeons for superior management of facial surgical wounds.
Prosthodontic Research Award to Dr Kane
Second year postgraduate resident in Advanced Prosthodontics, Dr Brittany Kane, was awarded the First Place in the 2019 John J. Sharry Prosthodontic Research Competition, which was held on Friday, Nov. 1 at the America College of Prosthodontists Annual Session in Miami, FL. The national competition is held to stimulate and acknowledge original research in prosthodontics by residents/students across the country. Dr Kane’s project stood out for her exceptional science, high potential impact, and excellent quality of presentation. Congratulations to Dr Kane and her mentors – Dr Alireza Moshaverinia, Dr Sahar Ansari and Dr Kumar Shah, all faculty in the Division of Advanced Prosthodontics and the Weintraub Center for Reconstructive Biotechnology.
The 9 Biggest Scientific Breakthroughs and Advances of 2018: Artificial immunity developed by Dr Moshaverinia
For all the protection they provide us from infection-causing pathogens, T cells, once extracted from the body survive for only a few days, making them incredibly difficult to replicate in the lab. But using a microfluidic system, a team of bioengineers at UCLA were able to engineer synthetic T cells that mimic the shape, size, flexibility, and basic functionality of natural T cells. Lean more….
Look at the work and more.
Nanocomposite hydrogels show promise in treating bone defects
Dr. Lee and his team developed a new method of creating in-situ forming injectable hydrogels with interconnected microporous structure by incorporating naturally occurring clay nanoparticles into biopolymer chitosan. The study was published in Nature Communications. This discovery is of considerable importance in the development of the next generation of hydrogel systems that may serve as a versatile biomaterial platform for many applications, including therapeutic delivery, cell carriers, and tissue engineering. Find more info about this technology.
Dr. Moshaverinia wins 2019 ACP Distinguished Researcher Award
Dr. Alireza Moshaverinia, Assistant Professor of Advanced Prosthodontics at UCLA School of Dentistry, is the recipient of the American College of Prosthodontics (ACP) Distinguished Researcher Award in 2019 for his tireless commitment to the specialty of prosthodontics. This prestigious award honors "individuals whose research represents a significant contribution to the literature, teaching or clinical applications of the College and/or specialty of Prosthodontics, dentistry science and health professions."
American Dental Association (ADA) appoints Dr Shah
Dr. Kumar Shah, Clinical Professor of Prosthodontics, Director of Graduate Prosthodontics Program, and Director of iDDS Services, has been appointed by the American Dental Association (ADA) as consultant to the ADA Council on Scientific Affairs (CSA). His expertise in prosthodontics and digital dentistry will provide CSA valuable insight on a broad range of critical scientific issues of interest to the dental profession and the public. The CSA also provides guidance to science staff in the ADA Seal of Acceptance Program, the Center for Evidence-Based Dentistry, the Department of Scientific Information, the Department of Research and Standards, and the Product Evaluations Program.
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute funds Dr Wu’s team
Prof. Wu's team receives a four-year, $1.7 million funding from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute at National Institutes of Health to develop a new generation of bioresorbable materials with sufficient strength, ductility, toughness, and biocompatibility to serve as intravascular stents, orthopedic fixation components, and maxillofacial reconstruction devices. The Co-PI's include Prof. Xiaochun Li in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Dr. Daniel Levi in Cardiology, and Prof. Chase Linsley in Bioengineering, In this project, the team will optimize biochemical-mechanical properties, biodegradation, and biocompatibility to address the unmet clinical needs of pediatric congenital heart defects such as aortic coarctation and pulmonary artery stenosis.
Science Day Awardees
Congratulations to all participants in the 4th Annual Advanced Prosthodontics Science Day a tremendous success. Big thank you to all judges who made the difficult decisions for the awardees. See you all at Science Day 2020.
Basic Science
1st Place: Giovanny Acosta-Vélez
2nd Place: Max Zhu
3rd Place: Chase Linsley
Case Reports/Clinical Research
1st Place: Sonika Himani
2nd Place: Nuntaporn Rojanasakul
3rd Place: Crystal Lee, Reeva Mincer
Dental Materials (Clinical)
1st Place: Varisha Parikh
2nd Place: Fangming Li
Dental Materials (Basic Science)
1st Place: Yulong Zhang
2nd Place: Mahdi Hasani
3rd Place: Andre Cataluna
UCLA keeps dental health in Special Olympics
UCLA Dentistry students, who are also members of the School’s Sports Dentistry Club and the newest Special Patient Care Club, volunteered at this year's Special Olympics Southern California Summer Games. The games were held on Saturday, June 8, at Cal State Long Beach. Students assisted clinical directors with screenings, mouth guards and #fluoride treatments, and escorted athletes to the various stations.
IADR award goes to Dr Ansari
Dr. Sahar Ansari, lecturer of prosthodontics, was awarded the Innovation in Oral Care for her research project on: “A Growth-Factor-Free Adhesive Hydrogel for Craniofacial Bone Tissue Engineering”. Repair and regeneration of craniofacial bone defects have been widely achieved with bone grafting procedures. Several disadvantages are associated with this treatment modality, making bone regeneration using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) an advantageous alternative therapeutic option. The authors aim to engineer a novel regenerative and adhesive hydrogel based on alginate hydrogel containing gingival stem cell/whitlokite microparticles which can be used as a novel growth-factor-free treatment approach for bone tissue regeneration and osteoclast-mediated bone loss. Co-Investigator: Tara Aghaloo
UCLA Maxillofacial Prosthetics is a part of medical miracles
Thousands of Syrian children have lost their lives and thousands more have been severely wounded. Since 2016, Burnt Children’s Relief Foundation (BCRF) has treated twenty Syrian children in the United States, with the aid of Shriners Hospital in Galveston, Texas and Pasadena, California, along with other partners such as UCLA for nose and eyes issues. Watch FOX NEWS.
First-place prize in Special Care Dentistry
At the recent Special Care in Dentistry Association (SCDA) meeting in Atlanta, GA, Dr Varun Solanki received the first-place prize for the poster presentation. The title of the poster is “Oral Health and Occlusal Manifestations in Patients with Osteogenesis Imperfecta”. Dr. Solanki was a preceptor with GPR and has also been an AEGD ACT resident. The poster and presentation were a joint effort in working with multiple faculty and residents of the Division of Advanced Prosthodontics.
Donations to the Center
Michael Weintraub (left, front) and Larry Witzer (right, front) from The Weintraub Family Foundation and the Johnny Carson Foundation signing golf tournament flags from the inaugural "The Jerry" Celebrity Pro-Am Golf Tournament. A portion of the proceeds from the event benefited the Weintraub Center and support our vital mission.
UCLA Dental Specialty PhD Program starts with Dr Nishimura’s leadership
Dr Nishimura was successful in obtaining a NIH support for a newly created UCLA School of Dentistry Dental Specialty and Ph.D. Program (UCLA DSPP) (K12). UCLA Dental Specialty PhD Program (UCLA DSPP) is a new career development program for a small but selected group of dentists who pursue the dual training in dental specialty clinical training and rigorous scientific research training leading to the specialty certificate and PhD degree. UCLA DSPP Scholars are expected to take the leadership role in advancing patient-oriented challenges facing the current and future of dentistry. Contact with Dr Nishimura (inishimura@dentistry.ucla.edu) or Ms. Sandra Perez (sperez@dentistry.ucla.edu), K12 Program Coordinator, or go to the School Website or download the description, for more information.
Congratulations on 35 year anniversary of outstanding service (Victoria Sandoval, Management Service Officer of the Division and Weintraub Center)
Dean Krebsbach appreciates dedicated 35 years of service by Victoria Sandoval.
Annual Science Day
Annual Science Day of the Division of Advanced Prosthodontics and Weintraub Center for Reconstructive Biotechnology was successfully carried out on June 1, 2018 at UCLA Meyer & Renee Luskin Conference Center. The meeting this year was featured particularly as as a memorial event for Dr Kratochvil and Dr Berg to honor their great contribution to the patient care and education in prosthodontics and other fields of dentistry.
American Prosthodontic Society honors Dr Beumer
The American Prosthodontic Society (APS) has selected Dr. John Beumer III as its 2018 Golden Medallion Awardee. The Golden Medallion Award is issued periodically to individuals whose contributions to prosthodontics have been exceptional. The award is funded by the American Prosthodontic Foundation. Dr. Beumer was acknowledged at the 90h Annual Meeting of the American Prosthodontic Society in Chicago on February 22, 2018.
Dr. Wu to lead UCLA Dentistry’s Innovative Digital Dentistry Systems (iDDS) (2018)
Dr. Ben Wu is appointed Executive Director of UCLA School of Dentistry’s newest unit, Innovative Digital Dentistry Systems (iDDS), to addresses one of the four major imperatives of the School’s strategic plan. To fulfill its core mission to lead a digital transformation in dental education and oral health care through creativity, innovation, and research, iDDS will:
•Implement best-in-class digital architecture across the School to provide access to and to integrate patient care across all disciplines;
•Leverage interdepartmental support and employ digital technologies to transform the School's educational content and delivery;
•Stimulate and support research and innovation from the ground-up to transform dental education and health care.
Leveraging on the renowned innovative energy and the world class digital equipment in the Division of Advanced Prosthodontics and the Weintraub Center for Reconstructive Biotechlonogy, iDDS will distinguish the School from competing digital centers by driving impactful innovations through creative and bold research and development.
DDS will also play an important role in the School’s imperative to deliver person-centered care in a digitally integrated health care delivery system in Westwood, local communities, and beyond. The innovation created by iDDS will enable us to rapidly expand collaborations among academia, the dental community, and industry to diversify the School's patient care, education, and research portfolio, in synergy with the School’s vision to lead and transform how dentistry is taught and practiced.
Harvard honors Dr Nishimura
Harvard School of Dental Medicine awarded Dr Nishimura the Distinguished DMD Alumni Award for the 25th reunion class to honor his leadership in the field of tissue engineering and wound healing, whose passion for translational research has led to advances in the treatment of facial defects.
Dr. Wu to lead UCLA in $12 million NIH consortium to accelerate regenerative therapies for treating craniofacial and dental defects (2017)
Tissue engineering experts at UCLA, UCSF, UC Davis, UC Berkeley, USC, and Stanford University joined forces to form a national resource hub called Center for Dental, Oral & Craniofacial Tissue & Organ Regeneration (C-DOCTOR). Funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research at NIH, C-DOCTOR aims to recruit, cultivate and translate innovative regenerative technologies to replace oral, dental and craniofacial tissues lost to congenital disorders, trauma and disease. The team will develop a comprehensive source of clinical, scientific, technical, regulatory, financial and managerial tools to promote the cost-effective, timely progression of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine products to human clinical trials. Dr. Ben Wu serves as the UCLA Director and the C-DOCTOR Leadership Council.
Kratochvil's Fundamentals of Removable Partial Dentures
The RPD textbook has been published by Ting-Ling Chang, Daniela Orellana, and John Beumer III. QUINTESSENCE PUBLISHING USA
In the 1960s, Professor F. J. Kratochvil recognized the importance of biomechanics in removable partial denture (RPD) design and used these principles to develop a new design philosophy. This "RPI system"—a clasp assembly consisting of a rest, a proximal plate, and an I-bar retainer—changed how clinicians approach partial denture design and is now used throughout the world. This textbook provides an overview of Kratochvil's design philosophy and the basic principles of biomechanics it is based upon. Topics include components of RPDs and their functions, design sequences for maxillary and mandibular RPDs, and techniques for surveying and determining the most advantageous treatment position. A chapter dedicated to digital design and manufacturing of RPD frameworks highlights new technology in this emerging field. Additional topics include optimizing esthetic outcomes through attachments and rotational path RPDs as well as applying the RPI system to patients with maxillofacial defects. The authors provide illustrations of clinical cases throughout the book as well as an illustrated glossary of prosthodontic terminology. This textbook will prepare students and general practitioners to design and fabricate a biomechanically sound RPD framework for just about any dental configuration they encounter. http://www.quintpub.com/display_detail.php3?psku=B7901#.XAMwU2hKh49
Service Award to Dr Sung
Dr Eric Sung received a Lawrence J. Chasko Distinguished Service Award from the Special Care Dentistry Association.
Grant award to Dr Lee’s BMP research
Lee lab receives a five-year, $1.85 million National Institutes of Health funding to improve clinical efficacy and safety of current BMP therapeutics. Dr. Lee will collaborate with two co-investigators: Dr. Benjamin Wu, Chair and Professor of Advanced Prosthodontics; and Dr. Tara Aghaloo, Professor of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Led by Dr. Lee, the team will develop novel osteoinductive molecular strategies that can effectively complement BMP activity to maximize biological efficiency and simultaneously minimize BMP associated adverse effects.
IADR Young Investigator Award goes to Dr Moshaverinia
The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) announced Alireza Moshaverinia, University of California, Los Angeles, USA, as the 2018 recipient of the IADR Young Investigator Award. Moshaverinia was recognized at the Opening Ceremonies of the 96th General Session of the IADR, held in London Convention Center from July 25-28, 2018. Moshaverinia’s research interests include the development of novel biomaterials to deliver stem cells in vivo as a clinical approach to bone regeneration in disease states such as periodontitis and/or for bone repair following trauma.
Dr. Wu awarded AAOF grant to study clear aligner material properties (2018)
Dr. Ben Wu, Dr. Eric Ting, and Dr. Won Moon were recipients of a 3-year grant from the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation to develop standardized characterization of clear orthodontic aligners. As the PI, Dr. Wu will lead the team in defining the proper experimental protocols to test static and dynamic properties of clear aligners as they undergo macromolecular changes under the influences of biomechanical, biochemical, microbial, and biological challenges. Other key members of the team include Dr. Yulong Zhang, project scientist on the project, and Dr. Fangming Li, orthodontic resident in UCLA.
Exploring the next-generation dental implants in Ogawa Lab Team Surface
Dr Ogawa and his team in conjunction with Nantoh, Inc., Japan are conducting a research to develop zirconia dental implants. Zirconia is expected to be an alternative material to titanium because of its esthetic advantage coming from its whitish color and public demands toward metal-free tooth restoration. Dr Ogawa Lab and Nantoh developed a new zirconica surface with an unprecedented look and astounding bone bonding performance. The research is featured as a video abstract by the scientific journal International Journal of Nanomedicine.
Funding to Dr Lee’s nanotechnolgy-assisted bone repair research
Lee lab receives over $1 million Department of Defense funding to investigate the use of smoothened agonist liposomal nanoparticles for bone repair. Dr. Lee’s group recently reported innately osteoinductive liposomal platform that actives hedgehog (Hh) signaling. This system will be useful for delivery of small molecular drugs and/or therapeutic genes for enhanced bone formation. In the current project, Dr. Lee will combine these recent breakthroughs to develop a next generation nanoparticle packaged small molecule as a bone graft substitute product to jumpstart endogenous bone repair by collaborating with researchers at the School of Medicine of Johns Hopkins University.
Dr Ogawa received a research funding to explore novel zirconia that outperforms titanium
Dr Ogawa Lab and his team challenge an unheard hypothesis that zirconia can outperforms titanium for its bone bonding capability. Zirconia is expected to be an alternative to titanium because of its esthetic advantage and increasing public awareness toward metal-free dental implant restoration. The project has been supported in funding of $280,000 from Nantoh Inc., Japan.
Making nerve cells from gum cells
A scientific paper by a team of Dr Moshaverinia Lab was honorably selected as a cover on the Advanced Health Care Materials. The paper is entitled “Human Periodontal Ligament- and Gingiva-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Promote Nerve Regeneration When Encapsulated in Alginate/Hyaluronic Acid 3D Scaffold” by Sahar Ansari, Ivana M. Diniz, Chider Chen, Patricia Sarrion, Ali Tamayol, Benjamin M. Wu and Alireza Moshaverinia.
From digital dentistry to cardiology (2018)
UCLA Dentistry’s iDDS and Weintraub Center are teaming up with UCLA Health’s Division of Pediatric and Adult Congenital Cardiology and the Department of Radiology to create a new program in a Congenital and Structural Heart 3D Printing program that is transforming treatment for patients facing complex, time-sensitive heart surgeries. This project is made possible by the superb segmentation expertise in radiology, state-of-the art multimaterial 3d printers in dentistry, and amazing clinical expertise in cardiology. Dr. Ben Wu directs both iDDS and Weintraub Center.
Grant award to Dr Lee’s allograft study
LLee lab receives nearly $300,000 over three years from MTF Biologics to research hydrogel carrier systems and allograft sciences. Since 1987, MTF Biologics, the world’s largest tissue bank, has provided more than $50 million in grants to advance allograft transplantation science and biological reconstruction. Dr. Lee will identify a new strategy to improve clinical efficacy of current bone graft therapeutics for accelerated bone repair by maximizing activity of BMP signaling in conjunction with polymeric carrier systems.
AAAS names Dr Nishimura
Dr Nishimura was named as Fellow of AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science, the publishing body of Science) on Feb. 17, 2018. Dr. Nishimura is being recognized for his contributions in the field of oral and craniofacial disease processes, particularly the study of rare diseases of the craniofacial complex.
Development of orthopedic bone cement with reduced toxicity and bioinert nature in Ogawa Lab Team Surface
Team Surface led by Dr Ogawa has been working on detoxification and functionalization of bone cement materials used in orthopedic surgery. Current bone cement materials are bio-torrent but cytotoxic to a decent degree, which has not been improved in the past 60 years. The project has received a funding of $200,000 from Mitsui Chemical Inc., Japan.
Artificial Immune Cell Development: Dr Moshaverinia’s journey
Dr Moshaverinia and his team members developed synthetic T cells that mimic form, function of human version. The work has been published in the journal Advanced Materials and featured in a science news site.
Nell-1 team wins International Space Station Innovation Award (2018)
The multidisciplinary Nell-1 orthobiologics program led by Dr. Ben Wu, Dr. Kang Ting, and Dr. Chia Soo to develop Nell-1 for treating systemic osteoporosis was awarded the 2018 International Space Station (ISS) Innovation Award in Biology and Medicine. The ISS Innovation award was presented in 7th annual International Space Station Research and Development Conference held in San Francisco, and officially announced by the American Astronautical Society. Other key members of the team include Dr. Jinny Kwak, who managed the detailed pre- and post-launch logistics, and Dr. Yulong Zhang, a project scientist who modified the Nell-1.
Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation names Dr Lee
Dr. Lee receives the J.R. Neff Award from MTF Biologics for his highest peer-ranked proposal. The award has been established in honor of the late orthopaedic surgeon and researcher, James R. Neff, M.D. to be a recognition of an individual whose work in the orthopaedics field embodies dedication, perseverance and intense curiosity. Dr. Lee’s award is the first for UCLA since its inception in 2006.
AO presentation award goes to Dr Ishijima
Dr. Manabu Ishijima, a postdoctoral researcher in Ogawa Lab Team Surface, received Academy of Osseointegration Oral Presentation Award for his work entitled "Photofunctionalization-grade UV Treatment of Titanium Enhances Adhesion and Retention of Human Oral Epithelial Cells" by Ishijima M, Nakhaei K, Ikeda T, Hirota M, Ogawa T. The meeting was held in Orlando in March 2017.
Dr Moshaverinia to receive a research funding to harness stem cells to cure gum disease
Dr. Alireza Moshaverinia was awarded nearly $200,000 in research funding from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine under their Discovery Inception program for his project "Gingival mesenchymal stem cells as a novel treatment modality for periodontal tissue regeneration” .
Vision in dental implants by Dr Ogawa
Dr Takahiro Ogawa’s scholarly and academic activities as well as his endeavor in the R & D in the field of biomaterials have been featured in a major business paper in Japan named Sankei Biz (Japanese language only).
Significant Awards, Honors, and Career Milestones
Supervisor of the Year Award goes to Ms. Vicki Sandoval (2015)
Ms Victoria Sandoval, pictured at left with Dean Park, has been with UCLA since 1983 and the School of Dentistry since 2004. Vicki helps keep the Division of Advanced Prosthodontics and the Weintraub Center running smoothly on the administrative level. She is known for her efficiency, experience, and caring heart. Her valuable contributions have been felt by many of the School’s faculty, students, and residents. Thank you to Vicki for her many years of dedication and hard work
UCLA honors Dr Eric Sung for his outstanding teaching (2017)
Clinical Professor Ting-Ling Chang was chosen one of the Senate faculty honorees of UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award. The Distinguished Teaching Award recognizes academically and professionally accomplished individuals who bring respect and admiration in teaching.
UCLA honors Dr Ting-Ling Chang for her outstanding teaching (2016)
Clinical Professor Ting-Ling Chang was chosen one of the three Non-Senate faculty honorees of UCLA Distinguished Teaching Award. The Distinguished Teaching Award recognizes academically and professionally accomplished individuals who bring respect and admiration in teaching.
Dr. Ben Wu awarded “Paper of the Year” by Journal of Biological Engineering (2016)
Dr. Ben Wu and his PhD student Helena Chia, were awarded the 2015 Paper of the Year by the Journal of Biological Engineering, the official journal of the Institute of Biological Engineering. The paper “Recent advances in 3D printing of biomaterials” highlights the most promising printing strategies for tissue engineering, and discusses the major technological limitations in bioink development and print-process refinement that must take place to realize the promise of advanced biomanufacturing.
Dr. Wu awarded NIH planning grant to create resource center for regenerative dentistry (2015)
Dr. Ben Wu, an expert in biomaterials and tissue engineering, collaborated with Stanford’s Dr. Michael Longaker, an expert in developmental biology and wound healing, were awarded a planning grant to create the “UCLA-Stanford Dental Oral Craniofacial Tissue Engineering Center”. The scientific team include renowned clinicians, bioengineers, and scientists who are leaders in their disciplines with strong track record in multidisciplinary team science and translational engineering. The team is joined by industry partners, and experts in clinical trial design, data management and secure data communication, GMP manufacturing, FDA regulation, insurance reimbursement, and funding. The PI and Co-PI, Dr. Wu and Dr. Longaker, are both clinician-scientists with excellent track record of successful collaboration on craniofacial tissue regeneration.
IADR Distinguished Scientist Award to Dr Ichiro Nishimura (2004)
International Association for Dental Research (IADR) presented Professor Ichiro Nishimura the Distinguished Scientist Award in Prosthodontics and Implant Research during the annual general session held in Honolulu, Hawaii on March 10, 2004. The award has been made for his advances in four research fields, namely, molecular mechanisms of cell differentiation, tissue engineering of normal and functional tissue of the face, biotechnology application to wound healing, and human genome bio-informatics and silico-molecular modeling. IADR Distinguished Scientist Award is considered one of the highest honors bestowed by IADR.
IADR Distinguished Scientist Award to Dr Neal Garrett (2008)
International Association for Dental Research (IADR) presented Professor Emeritus Neal Garrett the Distinguished Scientist Award in Prosthodontics and Implant Research during the annual general session held in Toronto, ON, Canada on July 2, 2008. Dr. Garrett is being recognized for his research focus on the restoration of oral function and quality of life following tooth loss or other oral impairment in the elderly. He has established the functional efficacy of a variety of conventional denture parameters and several types of partial and complete dentures utilizing dental implants. His research involved defining the impact on mastication, muscle effort, and patient perceptions of various denture factors. IADR Distinguished Scientist Award is considered one of the highest honors bestowed by IADR.
ACP Clinician/Researcher Award to Dr Takahiro Ogawa (2011)
American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) honored Professor Takahiro Ogawa (center) for his outstanding contributions to academic dentistry and the sciences and presented a Clinician/Researcher Award during the annual general session held in Scottsdale, AZ, on November 2, 2011.
Dr Eric Sung appointed as inaugural endowed chair holder (2015)
Dr. Eric Sung, professor and chair of the section of special patient care, has been appointed the inaugural holder of the United Cerebral Palsy of Los Angeles Endowed Chair in Special Patient Care at the UCLA School of Dentistry, effective September 30, 2015.
Academy of Osseointegration (AO) Paper of the Year Award goes to Dr Takahiro Ogawa (2012)
Professor Takahiro Ogawa (center) accepts the William R. Laney Award for the best article published by his research team in IJOMI (International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Implants) during the Annual Session of Academy of Osseointegration held on March 1 in Phoenix, Arizona. The publication was entitled “UV photoactivation of titanium enhances osseointegration in a rat model“ by Ueno T, Yamada M, Hori N, Suzuki T, Ogawa T. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 5:287-294, 2010
Journal of Dental Research (JDR) Paper of the Year Award goes to Dr Takahiro Ogawa (2010)
Professor Takahiro Ogawa (right) accepts the IADR/AADR William J. Gies Award in Bioengineering for the best article published in JDR (Journal of Dental Research) during the Annual Session of International Association of Dental Research (IADR) held on March, 2010 in Barcelona, Spain. The publication was entitled “Ti nano-nodular structuring for bone integration and regeneration “ by Ogawa T, Saruwatari L, Takeuchi K, Aita H, Ohno N. J Dent Res, 87:751-756, 2008
IADR Distinguished Scientist Award to Dr Takahiro Ogawa (2014)
International Association for Dental Research (IADR) presented Professor Takahiro Ogawa (right) the Distinguished Scientist Award in Prosthodontics and Implant Research during the annual general session held in Capetown, South Africa on June 25, 2014. Dr Ogawa was recognized as a pioneer in photoenergy-mediated activation of implants materials, known as photofunctionalization, as well as a significant contributor in many areas in prosthodotics, implant biological research and biomaterials science. IADR Distinguished Scientist Award is considered one of the highest honors bestowed by IADR.
A world-largest implant association named Dr Takahiro Ogawa for the Paper of the Year Award (2015)
ICOI (International Congress of Oral Implantologists) presented the Ralph V. McKinney, Jr Award (Paper of the Year Award) to Professor Takahiro Ogawa. The title of the publication was “Implant stability change and osseointegration speed of immediately loaded photofunctionalized implants” by Suzuki S, Kobayashi N, Ogawa T. Implant Dentistry 2013;22:481-490