Understanding the structure and function of bone and finding new ways to improve treatment for children and adults with craniofacial anomalies has been the focus of the Craniofacial Research Laboratory, led by Dr. Steven R. Buchman, for the past quarter-century. Our highly collaborative, translational work spans lab bench to patient bedside. Our discoveries in the areas of tissue engineering, regenerative medicine and pharmacotherapeutics will help surgeons worldwide better treat pediatric and adult patients with craniofacial bone deformities and radiation-related bone injuries.
Work in our lab, informed by our clinical practice, recently led to a Michigan Surgical Innovation Prize for our development of a novel therapeutic device to dramatically improve bone healing after difficult fractures. With consistent funding through competitive National Institutes of Health R01 and other grants, we are excited to continue making discoveries that offer new hope to patients. With support from an NIH T32 training grant, we're also training the next generation of surgical scientists to do the same.