This federal Project Grant award of $129,420, provided by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) under the Oral Diseases and Disorders Research (CFDA 93.121) program, supports research to regulate skeletal stem cell and neutrophil dynamics for improved cleft palate bone regeneration. The key objectives are to:
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Identify how bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) based palatal and mandibular bone regeneration is regulated by skeletal stem cells (SSCs) at the cellular and receptor level. This includes using single-cell RNA sequencing to understand differences in SSC subpopulations responsible for varied regenerative capacities.
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Examine the interactions between neutrophils and SSCs in the palatal bone regenerative interface, and develop safe bone regeneration strategies using a surrogate BMP-2 engineered to selectively activate SSCs and avoid neutrophil-induced inflammation.
The research, conducted at Stanford University from March 2025 to February 2027, aims to advance the career of the principal investigator, Dr. Takematsu, towards becoming an independent investigator specializing in craniofacial skeletal stem cell biology and osteoimmunology. The findings are expected to support a future R01 proposal for developing effective bone regeneration strategies to repair various craniofacial defects.
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