Education

• PhD, Oral Biology/Periodontology, UNC Adams School of Dentistry, 2011
• MS, Operative Dentistry, UNC Adams School of Dentistry, 2003
• DDS, Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, 1997

Research Interests

Animal, collagen, regeneration, biomaterials, bone, dentin, extracellular matrix molecules, mineralization, tissue engineering, osteoblasts/osteoclasts, phytochemicals, signal transduction, molecular biology, mechanical properties, proteoglycans, tissue and organ culture

Research Summary

Currently there is a gap of knowledge in that we have not been able to identify a reliable form of preventing dentin and bone loss in various physiological and pathological scenarios. My long-term goals are to unveil novel mechanisms of protecting such mineralized tissues, characterize new effective agents and ultimately bring these agents to clinical practice. My research studies have concentrated in understanding collagen biochemistry and tissue mechanical properties link; promotion of mineralization (re-mineralization) in dentin and bone and, more recently, focused in the role of the proteoglycan biglycan in promotion of craniofacial bone regeneration through modulation of bone morphogenetic protein function. Other biological and translational experiments are in development to promote dentin formation. Another area of interest is on integrative medicine where I seek to understand how natural compounds (phytochemicals) act on cell behavior, extracellular matrix quality and mineralization as well as their effect on oral diseases development such as caries and periodontal disease.

Availability to Mentor

Undergraduate/college student, graduate student, undergraduate DDS or DH student, postdoc, and early-career faculty