2025 15th Tooth Morphogenesis & Differentiation Conference (Corfu, Greece)

Birth defects and next generation sequencing. Agnes Bloch takes a fresh look at Wittkop’s classic classification of enamel defects using recent molecular tools. This new strategy uncovered more than 30% novel phenotypes, most prominently MMP20 and Fam83H. This revised knowledge will greatly affect patient care.

Polycomb proteins are major determinant of neural crest in zebrafish and humans. This presentation will discuss how epigenetic factors contribute to development and differentiation.

Dr. Visel developed and applied novel computational and experimental sequence-based methods for elucidating the gene regulatory landscape of vertebrate genomes, which led to the discovery of thousands of genetic switches implicated in developmental and disease processes in the human genome. This work has led to an understanding of the fine tuning of craniofacial morphology by distant-acting developmental enhancers.

Targeting USAG-1 shows promise for treating missing congenital tooth. Anti-USAG-1 neutralizing antibodies have been developed and will progress towards clinical trials, which may regenerate missing congenital teeth in conditions, such as hypodontia and oligodontia. The protocol framework for a phase 1 study has been finalized, and preparation for future studies is underway. A summary of the early findings will be presented.

Dr. Bertassoni's research studies the use micro-scale technologies and bioprinting for tissue engineering; nanoscale structural and mechanical properties of mineralized tissues; and different aspects of the emerging field of ‘organs-on-a-chip’.

Dr. Rena D’Souza recently retired as the ninth Director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health. She was deeply committed to the organization’s mission which is to advance fundamental knowledge about dental, oral, and craniofacial health and disease and translate these findings into prevention, early detection, and treatment strategies that improve overall health for all individuals and communities across the lifespan. As a clinician- scientist, D’Souza has been strongly committed to education, discovery and mentoring throughout her academic career, mostly in the field of dental genetics.

Professor Simmer is an active Emeritus Professor at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. Most recently Dr. Simmer has been analyzing genetic data to build comprehensive models to explain how the genes associated with inherited enamel malformations normally function to extend enamel mineral ribbons during the secretory stage and harden enamel during maturation.

An important underpinning of regenerative medicine is to understand the mechanisms by which mammals naturally use stem cells to heal tissues. I will discuss work on renewal and plasticity in the oral mucosa and dentition, and I will share thoughts about the potential therapeutic implications of progress in developmental and stem cell biology.

Dr. Bartlett has focused his research on understanding the proteinases involved in dental enamel development and he has also studied the molecular mechanisms that cause dental fluorosis. He and his collaborators discovered matrix metalloproteinase-20 (MMP20, Enamelysin) and kallikrein-related peptidase-4 (KLK4). Recently they demonstrated that A Disintegrin And Metalloproteinase Domain-10 (ADAM10) secreted by ameloblasts is essential for proper enamel formation, which will be the subject of Dr. Bartlett’s presentation.

Prof. Faleh Tamimi is currently serving as Research Coordinator of the College of Dental Medicine. Prof Tamimi holds a PhD degree in Biomaterials and specialty degrees in Geriatric dentistry and implant prosthodontics. His multidisciplinary and translational research covers various areas including the fields of biomaterials, mineralized tissues, tissue regeneration, inflammation, and chronobiology.

My research interests are focused on the dentition of ray-finned (actinopterygian) fish, in particular to test hypotheses on the evolutionary origin of teeth, and on continuous tooth replacement, a feature lost in mammals. In the light of understanding the diversity of tooth distribution across vertebrates, the odontogenic capacity of oropharyngeal epithelia is a topic of current central research.

The Tucker lab is interested in development of the head, with particular focus on formation and regeneration of the jaw and dentition across vertebrates. Formation of teeth involves complex epithelial-mesenchymal interactions, and the lab is interested in how pattern, shape, and tooth number are controlled. The rules and signals that control tooth replacement will be discussed with analysis across mammals and reptiles.