Dental engineering and tissue regeneration (DEnTRegen)

Programme director

Associate Professor Dawn Coates

Programme staff

Key research staff, postgraduate students and collaborations

Programme overview

The SJWRI recently approved the establishment of a new research programme in Dental Engineering and Tissue Regeneration (DEnTRegen), led by Associate Professor Dawn Coates. This aims to recognise and enhance cutting edge bioengineering and tissue regeneration research within the SJWRI and provide a platform to attract high calibre students, enhance intramural and extramural collaboration, and secure external funding.

The key research interests of the programme are in regenerative medicine approaches that blend fabrication of new constructs, cells and growth factors/proteins/peptides to trigger or enhance regeneration within the oral environment. This may include tooth regeneration, osteogenesis, angiogenesis, wound healing and stem cell activation and control.

Core technologies

• Stem cells technologies
• Graft materials, gels and utilisation of waste products
• Bio-printing and 3D constructs
• Biomaterial testing (strength, elasticity, wear, composition), physical and chemical characterisation
• Dental appliances - tissue regeneration
• Growth factors / cytokines / peptides / antimicrobials / natural products / plasma rich fibrin - delivery and fabrication in constructs
• FlexCell BioPress Bioreactor – tension and compression system
• In vitro models - osteogenesis, dentine regeneration, stem cell differentiation
• In vivo models - rabbit cranial model; sheep: tooth socket, periodontitis and peri-implantitis, femur, orthodontic, sinus, tooth furcation, rat cranial critical defect
• Nanotechnology and regeneration

This theme is truly multidisciplinary in its approach and invites clinicians, cell biologists, chemists, engineers, formulation experts, and molecular biologists to collaborate. Foundational to the theme is the blending of regenerative medicine approaches with biological materials such as hydrogels, bone constructs and synthetic molecules to produce frameworks for cellular integration and repair.

Current projects

• Lactoferrin light cross-linkable gels for bone regeneration
• Nanosilver and its antimicrobial, osteogenic and cytotoxicity activity
• Novel bone constructs and their in vitro and in vivo capability
• 3D printed constructs for periodontal disease in a bioreactor
• Bio-integration of bone block constructs
• Dental pulp stem cells for 3D-bioprinting with dentine
• GelMA hydrogels for bone regeneration
• Developing a bioactive ovine putty for bone regeneration
• Development and characterisation of a bio-composite from chitosan and waste HA (an in vivo study)

More information

As the DEnTRegen programme evolved out of our Clinical and Translational Research programme, further information on the projects and personnel involved in this programme can be found in the Clinical and translational research programme profile (PDF extract from our 2019-2020 SJWRI Research Report) linked at right.