page_title: Craniofacial regeneration
section_title: Experimental Models
hierarchical_section_title: Craniofacial regeneration / Experimental Models
caption_attribution_description: English: Picture credits to the Potter Lab at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. The left plane depicts a wildtype (normal) mouse embryo, and the right plane is a genetically edited mouse that lacks the gene Sp8. Normal development proceeded in the wildtype, but the Sp8 mutant lacked facial structure yet presented a tongue and a mandible.
context_page_description: Craniofacial regeneration refers to the biological process by which the skull and face regrow to heal an injury. This page covers birth defects and injuries related to the craniofacial region, the mechanisms behind the regeneration, the medical application of these processes, and the scientific research conducted on this specific regeneration. This regeneration is not to be confused with tooth regeneration. Craniofacial regrowth is broadly related to the mechanisms of general bone healing.
context_section_description: Current approaches to craniofacial research are spearheaded by a branch of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, named the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). With regards to regenerative medicine, the NIDCR invested $52 million in “basic, translational, and clinical” regenerative research in 2017. These experiments include but are not limited to:
  Microengineering blood vessels: enhancing current engineering of nutrient-rich blood vessels to promote transplanted tissues and bone precursor cells (cells that will give rise to bone structure). Proper engineering of these circulating blood vessels would alleviate pressure on newly implanted cells or craniofacial structures.
  Designing stronger cartilage: challenging cartilage cells in vitro (in the laboratory) with harsh conditions to mimic the environment of a craniofacial defect. It is vital that laboratory-generated cartilage be comparable in strength to natural cartilage.
  Isolating bone stem cells: purifying stem cells from a collection of human fat tissue that can generate bone in vivo (animal models).
  Researchers are also implementing many genetic tools to further understand craniofacial regeneration. Developmental biologists have been reported to use laser capture microdissection and fluorescence-activated cell sorter (FACS) to create an array of genes involved in craniofacial development.
  Identification of specific genes necessary in craniofacial development can lead to striking transgenic experiments. These types of procedures involve genetically editing organisms to understand the function of their genes. For example, using Cre-recombinase, an enzyme which makes specific cuts in the genome, researchers were able to knockout the expression of Sp8, a gene hypothesized to be essential for face development. In the resulting mouse model, it was observed that facial development was significantly impaired, yet a tongue and a mandible were present (see image). Transgenic animal models is just one way in which researchers are attempting to understand craniofacial abnormalities.
caption: Picture credit to the Potter Lab at Cincinnati Children's Hospital. The left plane depicts a wildtype (normal) mouse embryo, and the right plane is a genetically edited mouse that lacks the gene Sp8. Normal development proceeded in the wildtype, but the Sp8 mutant lacked facial structure yet presented a tongue and a mandible.
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