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Lynne Opperman

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Lynne A. Opperman, Ph.D.

Professor
Department of Biomedical Sciences; Director of Technology Development - Office of Research and Graduate Studies
Member of the GSBS Faculty

3302 Gaston Ave.
Dallas, Texas 75246
Phone: 214-828-8134
Fax: 214-874-4538
Email: lopperman@bcd.tamhsc.edu

Education and Post-Graduate Training

Postdoctoral Fellowship, Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Virginia Medical School, Charlottesville, VA (1991-1996)

Postdoctoral Fellowship,  Department of Pathology, University of Virginia Medical School, Charlottesville, VA (1989-1990)

Ph.D., Developmental Biology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa (1985)

B.Sc. (Hons), Zoology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa (1980)

B.Sc., Zoology and Psychology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa (1979)

Career History

Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M Health Science Center Baylor College of Dentistry, Dallas, TX (2008-present)

Associate Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M Health Science Center Baylor College of Dentistry, Dallas, TX (2004-2008)

Graduate Faculty, Texas A&M Health Science Center Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, College Station, TX  (2000-present)

Assistant Professor,  Department of Biomedical Sciences,  Texas A&M Health Science Center Baylor College of Dentistry, Dallas, TX  (1997-2004)

Assistant Professor (Research), Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA  (1995-1996)

Research Associate, Departments of Plastic and Neurological Surgery, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA  (1994-1995)

Research Associate, Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Virginia Medical School, Charlottesville, VA (1991-1994)

Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Pathology, University of Virginia Medical School, Charlottesville, VA (1989-1990)

Research Officer, MRC Research Unit for Pediatric Mineral Metabolism, Baragwanath Hospital, Soweto, South Africa (1985-1988)

Teaching Interests

Teaching responsibilities include:

Prenatal Craniofacial Development, Cell and Molecular Biology of Oral and Craniofacial Tissues, Graduate Student Colloquium (course director), General Histology (course director) and research mentor for D.D.S. specialty students.

Research Interests

Dr. Lynne OppermLAO fig 1an’s main area of research is to elucidate the mechanisms by which growth factors regulate cranial and facial suture morphogenesis and patency.  She examines the mechanisms by which signaling pathways interact to regulate suture morphogenesis and patency.  The growth factors of interest include Tgf-ß2, Tgf-ß3, Egf and Fgf.  Dr. Opperman also studies alternate methods for accelerating bone formation and healing.  She does translational research looking at combinations of scaffolds and growth factors for healing super-sized critical defects, and for accelerating consolidation periods following sutural widening and distraction osteogenesis procedures. 

   

LAO fig 2Dr. Opperman has a fully executed patent and a patent pending for a new bone transport reconstruction plate (BTRP).  The BTRP is designed to reconstruct the mandible after bony resection, and the curved version of the device is designed to reconstruct the chin by transporting a bone segment across the midline of the jaw or by transporting two bone segments on either side of a gap to meet in the midline.  She co-owns a small business (Craniotech ACR Devices, LLC) and has been awarded several STTR and SBIR grants to build and test prototypes of the device.  Dr. Opperman is currently the Director of Technology Development in the Technology Development Office at BCD.

  

Dr. Opperman is president-elect of the American Association of Anatomists and has served on the board of directors of the Craniofacial Group of the International Association for Dental Research, as well as serving as the Councilor of the Dallas chapter of the American Association for Dental Research.  She has served as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Texas A&M Health Science Center Faculty Senate.  She is currently a member of the editorial boards of Developmental Dynamics and Frontiers in Craniofacial Biology, and is on the scientific advisory board of the Journal of Endodontics. She previously served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research, and Experimental Biology and Medicine.

 

Grant activity

Principal Investigator:
1993-1995 Individual National Research Service Award F32 DEO5622 (NIH/NIDCR)
1996-2003 First Award R29 DE11978 (NIH/NIDCR)
1998-1999 Supplement to R29 DE11978 (NIH/NIDCR)
2000-2001 Supplement to R29 DE11978 (NIH/NIDCR)
2001-2002 Tobacco Initiative (TAMUS-HSC)
2003-2005 Small Business STTR Phase I R41 DE15437 (NIH/NIDCR)
2005-2007 Small Business STTR Phase II R42 DE015437-02 (NIH/NIDCR)
2005-2010 Small Business STTR Phase II R42 DE015437-02 (NIH/NIDCR 
Co-Investigator and PI on Subcontracts:
1991-1992 Maxillofacial Surgeons Foundation Award (PI, Dr. J.A. Persing)
1992-1993 Maxillofacial Surgeons Foundation Award (PI, Dr. J.A. Persing)
1994-1995 Maxillofacial Surgeons Foundation Award (PI, Dr. K.Y. Lin)
1997-1998 Foundation for Orthodontic Research (PI, Dr. J.B. Cope)
1998-1999 Baylor Oral Health Foundation (PI, Dr. R.P. Harper)
1998-2000 Baylor Oral Health Foundation (PI, Dr. C.D. Bishop)
2003-2006 R01 DE15401 (NIH/NIDCR) (PI, Dr. R. Hinton)
2005-2006 Small Business SBIR Phase I R43 DE015893-01  (NIH/NIDCR) (PI, Z. Minevski)
2007-2008 Small Business SBIR Phase I R43 DE017259-01 (NIH/NIDCR) (PI, T. Mulone)
2007-2009 Small Business SBIR Phase II R44 DE015893-01 (NIH/NIDCR) (PI, Z. Minevski)
2007-2010 Small Business SBIR Phase II R43 DE017259-01 (NIH/NIDCR) 
2009-2010 Small Business SBIR Phase II R43 DE017259-01 (NIH/NIDCR); ARRA Supplement
2007-2010 Small Business SBIR R44 DE15893-01 (NIH/NIDCR)
2008-2009 Medtronic Inc.
Consultant:
1999-2004 Comprehensive Oral Health Research Center of Discovery (COHRCD), Center for Craniofacial Development and Disorders, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore MD NIH/NIDCR (P60 DE13078), Cytokine therapy in craniosynostotic rabbits
Mentor:
2003-2007 Individual Predoctoral Dental Scientist Fellowship F30 DE014657 for Joseph T. Rawlins
2003-2005 AADR Student Research Fellowship, Dentsply International, Joseph T. Rawlins
2005-2010 UT Southwestern Clinical Science Scholars program; NIH/NIDCR K12; HD052225-01

Selected Publications

  1. Opperman LA, Adab K, Gakunga PT 2000 TGF-β2 and TGF-β3 regulate fetal rat cranial suture morphogenesis by regulating levels of cell proliferation and apoptosis.  Dev Dynam 219:237-247.

  2. Opperman LA 2000 Cranial sutures as intramembranous bone growth sites. Dev Dynam 219:472-485.

  3. Sykaras N, Triplett RG, Nunn ME, Iacopino AM, Opperman, LA 2001 Effect of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 on bone regeneration and osseointegration of dental implants.  (File Size: 510 KB) Clin Oral Implants Res 12:339-349.

  4. Opperman LA, Moursi A, Sayne JR, Wintergerst AM 2002 Transforming growth factor-beta 3 (Tgf-β3) in a collagen gel delays fusion of the rat posterior interfrontal suture in vivo. (File Size: 3.42 MB)Anat Rec 267:120-130.
  5. Adab K, Sayne JR, Carlson DS, Opperman LA 2003 Nasal capsular cartilage is required for rat transpalatal suture morphogenesis. (File Size: 1.83 MB) Differentiation 71:496-505.
  6. Shibazaki R, Maki K, Tachikawa T, Shibasaki Y, Hinton RJ, Carlson DS, Opperman LA 2005 Changes in PTHrP and 3D trabeccular bone structure of the mandibular condyle following mandibular distraction osteogenesis in growing rats. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 63:505-512.
  7. Perry M, Hodges NE, Hallmon W, Rees T, Opperman LA 2005 Distraction osteogenesis versus autogenous onlay grafting. Part I: outcome of implant integration. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 20:695–702.
  8. Hodges NE, Perry M, Mohamed W, Hallmon W, Rees T, Opperman LA 2006 Distraction osteogenesis versus autologous onlay grafting part II: biology of regenerate and onlay bone. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants. 21:237-244.

  9. Opperman LA, Fernandez CR, So S, Rawlins JT 2006 Erk1/2 signaling is required for Tgf-ß2 induced suture closure. Dev Dynam 235:1292-1299.

  10. Alaqeel SM, Hinton, RJ, Opperman LA 2006 Cellular response to force application at craniofacial sutures. Orthodon Craniofac Res 9:111–122.

  11. Wang Q, Opperman LA, Havill LM, Carlson DS, Dechow PC 2006 Inheritance of sutural pattern at the pterion in rhesus monkey skulls. Anat Rec 288A:1042-1049.

  12. Mooney MP, Losken HW, Moursi AM, Bradley J, Azari K, Acarturk TO, Cooper GM, Thompson B, Opperman LA, Siegel MI 2007 Anti-Tgf-ß2 antibody therapy inhibits postoperative resynostosis in craniosynostotic rabbits. Plastic Reconstr Surg 119:1200-1212.

  13. Wadhwa S, Bi Y, Ortiz AT, Embree MC, Kilts T, Iozzo RV, Opperman LA, Young MF 2007 Impaired posterior frontal sutural fusion in the biglycan/decorin double deficient mice. Bone 40:861-866.

  14. Mooney MP, Losken HW, Moursi AM, Shand JM, Cooper GM, Curry C, Ho L, Burrows AM, Stelnicki EJ, Losee JE, Opperman LA, Siegel MI. 2007 Postoperative anti-Tgf-beta2 antibody therapy improves intracranial volume and craniofacial growth in craniosynostotic rabbits.  J Craniofac Surg. 18:336-346.

  15. Shibazaki R, Dechow PC, Maki K, Opperman LA 2007 Biomechanical strain and morphologic changes with age in rat calvarial bone and sutures. Plastic Reconstr Surg 119:2167-2178.

  16. Genecov DG, Kremer M, Agarwal R, Salyer KE, Barcelo CR, Aberman HM, Opperman LA 2007 Norian craniofacial repair system: Compatibility with resorbable and non-resorbable plating materials. Plastic Reconstr Surg 120:1487-1495.

  17. Carrillo R, Rossouw EP, Franco PF, Opperman LA, Buschang PH. 2007  Intrusion of multiradicular teeth and related root resorption with mini-screw implant anchorage: A radiographic evaluation. Am J Orthodon Dentofac Orthop 132: 647-655.

  18. Dacy JA, Spears R, Hallmon W, Kerns D, Rivera-Hidalgo F, Minevski ZS, Nelson CJ,  Opperman LA  2007 Effects of phosphated titanium on osseoinduction. Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants 22:701-709.

  19. Carrillo R, Buschang PH, Opperman LA, Franco PF, Rossouw EP 2007  Segmental intrusion with mini-screw implant anchorage: A radiographic evaluation. Am J Orthodon Dentofac Orthop 132:576.el-576.e6.
  20. Chamorro MM, Regan JD, Opperman LA, Kramer PR  2008  Effect of storage media on human periodontal ligament cell apoptosis.  J Traumatol  24:11-16.
  21. Elsalanty, ME, Por YC, Genecov DG, Salyer KE, Opperman LA 2008  Recombinant human BMP-2 enhances the effects of materials used for reconstruction of large cranial defects. J Oral Maxillofac Surg 66:277-285.
  22. Por YC, Barcelo CR, Salyer KE, Genecov DG, Troxel K, Gendler E, Elsalanty ME, Opperman LA 2008  Bone generation in the reconstruction of a critical size calvarial defect in an experimental model.  J Craniofac Surg 19:383-392.
  23. Naidu A, Dechow PC, Spears R, Kessler HP, Wright JM, Opperman LA 2008  Effects of bisphosphonates on osteoblast behavior.  OOO (Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontology) 106:5-13.
  24. Rawlins JT, Fernandez CR, Cozby ME, Opperman LA 2008. Timing of Egf treatment differentially affects TGF-β2 induced cranial suture closure.  Exp Biol Med 233:1518-26.
  25. Woods PW, Buschang PH, Owens SE, Rossouw PE, Opperman LA 2009 The effect of force, timing and location on bone-to-implant contact of miniscrew implants.  Eur J Orthod 31:232-240.
  26. Elsalanty ME, Zakhary I, Akeel S, Benson B, Mulone T, Triplett GR, Opperman LA 2009 Reconstruction of canine mandibular bone defects using a bone transport reconstruction plate.  Ann Plast Surg 63:441-448.
  27. Liu SS, Opperman LA, Buschang PH 2009 Effects of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 on midsagittal sutural bone formation during expansion.  Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 136: 768-769.
  28. He D, Genecov DG, Herbert M, Barcelo R, Elsalanty ME, Weprin BE, Opperman LA 2010 Effect of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 on bone regeneration in large defects of the growing canine skull after dura mater replacement with a dura mater substitute.  J Neurosurg 112:319-328.
  29. Sanjideh PA, Rossouw PE, Campbell PM, Opperman LA, Buschang PH 2010 Tooth movements in foxhounds after one or two alveolar corticotomies.  Eur J Orthod 32:106-113.
  30. Zapata U, Elsalanty ME, Dechow PC, Opperman LA 2010 Biomechanical configurations of mandibular transport distraction osteogenesis devices.  Tissue Eng Part B Rev 16:273-283.
  31. Foley CH, Kerns DG, Hallmon WW, Rivera-Hidalgo F, Nelson CJ, Spears R, Dechow PC, Opperman LA 2010 Effect of phosphate treatment of acid-etched implants on mineral apposition rates near implants in a dog model.  Int J Oral Maxillofac Implants  25:278-286.
  32. San Miguel SM, Opperman LA, Allen EP, Zielinski J, Svoboda KK  2010  Antioxidents counteract nicotine and promote migration via RacGTP in oral fibroblast cells.   J Periodontol 81:1675-09.
  33. Ramirez-Echave JI, Buschang PH, Carrillo R, Rossouw PE, Nagy WW, Opperman LA  2011 Histologic evaluation of root response to intrusion in mandibular teeth in beagle dogs.  Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 139:60-69.
  34. Reuben JS, Dinh L, Lee J, Stateson J, Kamara H, Xiang L, Opperman LA  2011  Bisphosphonates inhibit phosphorylation of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 and expression of suppressor of cytokine signaling 3: Implications for their effects on innate immune function and osteoclastogenesis.  Oral Sur Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 111:196-204.
  35. Liu SS, Opperman LA, Kyung HM, Buschang PH  2011 Is there an optimal force level for sutural expansion?  Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 139:446-45.
  36. Zapata U, Opperman LA, Kontogiorgos E, Elsalanty ME, Dechow PC  2011 Biomechanical characteristics of regenerated cortical bone in the canine mandible.  J Tissue Eng Regen Med  5:551-559.
  37. San Miguel SM, Opperman LA, Allen EP, Zielinski J, Svoboda KK  2011 Bioactive antioxident mixtures promote proliferation and migration on human oral fibroblasts.  Arch Oral Biol 56:812-822.
  38. Kontogiorgos E, Elsalanty ME, Zapata U, Zakhary I, Nagy WW, Dechow PC, Opperman LA  2011 Three-dimensional evaluation of mandibular bone regenerated by bone transport distraction osteogenesis.  Calcif Tissue Int  89:43-52.