U of IL Dentistry's Dr. Atsawasuwan Receives Biomedical Research Award

CHICAGO - July 2, 2015 - PRLog -- Dr. Phimon Atsawasuwan, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthodontics at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, was awarded the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation’s 2015 Biomedical Research Award.  Dr. Atsawasuwan’s award was based on his study, “The effect of microRNA-29 on orthodontic tooth movement.”

         Partnered with Dr. Xiaofeng Zhou, an Associate Professor in the Department of Periodontics, Dr. Atsawasuwan will work to investigate roles of microRNA during tooth movement, while Dr. Zhou will help on the technique of laser-captured micro-dissection and analysis of microRNA result.

“We expect to gain an insight on how micro-RNA-29 plays roles in periodontal ligament cells, osteoblasts, and osteoclasts function during tooth movement,” Dr. Atsawasuwan said. “We will also investigate if changes of level microRNA-29 will affect the rate of tooth movement in animals.”

The Biomedical Research Award allocates $30,000 for one year to each recipient, and six awards are given per year. All applicants must be between three-to-14 years in their academic careers. The award is designed to help orthodontic faculty conduct independent orthodontic and craniofacial biology research.

--Written by Joseland C. Nixon