Some ongoing research interests focus on connective tissue formation, in particular, on the use of charged materials to foster bone growth and skin wound repair. The group has demonstrated that extensive bone formation occurs when negatively charged beads are applied to repair cranial and mandibular defects, when used as an onlay on the nasal or tibial bone surface, or following injection into marrow cavitites of long bones. In contrast, when positively charged beads are similarly used, large quantities of dense cellular connective tissue are seen to form; an observation which led to the use of such beads to facilitate healing of skin wounds. The mechanism(s) by which the charged materials foster formation of either connective tissue or bone is at present unclear.

• Selected Publications

One month after mandibular lesions were created, the lesion on the left, which has been filled with negatively charged beads, has healed! The lesion on the right, which received no material, remains unchanged.