BUILDING THE TOOTH: BRIDGING BIOLOGY IN MATERIAL SCIENCES

描述（由申请人提供）：我们召集了一群杰出的科学家来研究牙齿及其支持组织的再生。这个雄心勃勃的项目将需要新颖的科学方法和强大的协作互动，作为往往孤立工作的科学学科之间的高绩效团队。需要分子生物学、计算机科学、遗传学、化学、物理、材料科学和工程方面的专业知识。我们利用科学团队的各种技能进行SWOT分析，以确定牙齿再生目标的优势，劣势，机会和威胁。我们将创建一个人类牙齿的蓝图，包括材料特性、基因表达谱、基质分子和信号通路，这些都是从我们现有的牙齿发育和进化的知识中汲取的。该蓝图用于为两条独特但互补的道路提供设计细节，以设计替代道路。一种利用干细胞和/或基因工程细胞、信号分子和纳米制造的细胞外基质分子来指导再生的生物学方法被设想。另外，仿生学启发分子与纳米和微技术工具一起用于制造替代牙齿组织的材料。SWOT分析将确定阻碍我们进步的知识或技术差距以及消除它们的方法。我们将创建一个概念发展计划，详细列出实现牙齿再生的具体过程、程序和项目的优先顺序，并概述组织结构，包括促进U54项目所需的跨学科和协作基础和转化应用研究的环境。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We have assembled an outstanding group of scientists to work on the regeneration of the tooth and its supporting tissues. This ambitious project will require novel scientific approaches and strong collaborative interactions as high performance teams among scientific disciplines that tend to work in isolation. Scientific expertise from molecular biology, computer sciences, genetics, chemistry, physics, materials sciences and engineering are required. We use the diverse skills of our scientific team to perform a SWOT analysis to identify the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats to the goal of tooth regeneration. We will create a blueprint for a human tooth that includes the materials properties, gene expression profiles, matrix molecules, and signaling pathways that draws from our existing knowledge of the development and evolution of teeth. This blueprint is used to provide the design specifics for two unique, but complementary roads to engineer a replacement. A biological approach using stem- and/or genetically engineered cells, signaling molecules and nanofabricated extracellular matrix molecules to direct regeneration is envisioned. Alternatively, biomimetic inspired molecules are used with nano- and micro technology tools to create materials that replace dental tissues. The SWOT analysis will identify gaps in knowledge or technology that impede our progress and the means to obviate them. We will create a Concept Development Plan that details and prioritizes specific processes, procedures and projects to achieve tooth regeneration and outlines the organizational structure, including the environment for promoting interdisciplinary and collaborative basic and translational applied research needed for the U54 program.