Return to Main Menu

Grant moves CDM closer to new research center by Michael Baker Public Relations During the final week of September, the College of Dental Medicine officially received funding on a two-year, $2 million grant from the National Institutes of Dental and Craniofacial Research.  Steven D. London, DDS, Ph.D., associate dean for research and basic sciences, said the grant, “Oral health Research Infrastructure Development at MUSC,” will fortify research infrastructure in regenerative medicine and bioengineering, proteomics, and oral and head/neck cancer. “The grant will help MUSC acquire the necessary equipment, faculty and staff to enrich oral health research,” he said, noting that the entire university, not just the College of Dental Medicine, would benefit from the funding. “We’re increasing the scientific base for the entire university, bringing in a team of researchers to focus on oral health research in various areas.” Robert Draughn, professor and director of the Department of Materials Science, said the funding would provide MUSC with essential general laboratory equipment. “We’ll acquire equipment for the analysis of ceramics, polymers and composite materials,” he explained. “It’s a significant part of the grant, simply because we’re getting standard lab equipment that was never available before at MUSC. These additions allow us to move into engineering aspects of bioengineering.” Michael LaTrace, the college’s grant coordinator, agreed that the grant provides crucial support to oral health research. “It’s a pretty exciting time for both the college and the university,” he said. “We’re bringing in faculty who are either well-established researchers or well on their ways to becoming prominent researchers in the area of oral health.” Draughn’s and Latrace’s comments allude to the recruitment of a new senior faculty member in bioengineering. Whoever receives the appointment will play a key role in a partnership between MUSC and Clemson University, receiving a dual appointment from both universities. The recruit will maintain a primary faculty appointment in the Department of Bioengineering at Clemson while working at MUSC. The departments of Materials Science, Cell Biology and Anatomy, and Cell and Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics jointly will oversee additional faculty recruitments. The addition of faculty members, essential equipment and its accompanying technical staff will be leveraged with resources from a prior 5-year, $8.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health/National Center for Research Resources, which established the South Carolina Dental Center of Biological Research Excellence (COBRE).  “The combination of both grants is a key piece in the development of a new Center for Oral Health Research,” London said. The center will reside on the first floor of the Basic Sciences Building, an addition London called “the first real renovation of the new College of Dental Medicine.” Friday, Oct. 8, 2004 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.