The University of Iowa College of Dentistry supports a wide range of wet and dry labs led by faculty researchers across eight major research areas.
Wet labs focus on experimental science—from microbiology and biomaterials to tissue engineering.
Dry labs emphasize data-driven and policy-oriented research, including biostatistics, public health, and oral health policy. Each lab showcases the expertise and leadership of its principal investigator, advancing oral health through innovation, collaboration, and discovery.
Wet Labs
The Amendt Lab aims to understand the steps in the development of the craniofacial structures. They use a combination of Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Genetic, Molecular Biology and models to further our understanding of these key developmental steps.
The Butali Lab is interested in the epidemiology, genetics, and genomics of dental and craniofacial birth defects with the goal of identifying potential etiologic pathways that will inform strategies for prevention.
The Sun Lab seeks to develop novel biomaterials-based strategies to improve challenged bone (e.g., large, aged, or irradiated bone defects) tissue regeneration by mimicking the natural bone healing process.
The Van Otterloo Lab uses a combination of sophisticated animal genetics, coupled with cutting-edge molecular biology based approaches, to uncover the genetic underpinnings of tissue: tissue interactions during embryonic craniofacial development—and ultimately, how their disruption results in human birth defects.
Dry Labs
The Damiano Lab conducts externally funded research on health services and public policy research, specifically examining underserved populations’ access to and quality of primary care services.