Ann Arbor, MI — January 18, 2006 — Nisha D'Silva, an assistant professor in the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, is one of seven U-M faculty members, and the only one from the School of Dentistry, to receive a Crosby Research Award.

The award and research funds given with the award are given to tenure-track and tenured faculty members in science, engineering, and related disciplines to help them meet their career needs. Recipients can use the funds to develop and support research, to purchase needed laboratory equipment, or for travel to conferences.

D'Silva's research focuses on studying a small protein, highly expressed in oral cancers, for its effects in promoting cancer cell growth. The protein, known as rap1, also induces the secretion of factors that promote the growth of new blood vessels that provide nutrients to cancer cells.

"Understanding the molecular mechanisms of cancer growth is fundamental to the selection and development of new treatments for oral cancer," she said. "These possibilities for helping cancer patients keep us excited and focused in our day-to-day research activities."

Four years ago, D'Silva collaborated with others to create the School's "Digital Microscopes" initiative. Using the World Wide Web, the School of Dentistry's intranet, and a computer, dental students use their computer monitors as surrogate microscopes and view images from more than 50 different tissues.

The University of Michigan School of Dentistry is one of the nation's leading dental schools engaged in oral health care education, research, patient care, and community service. General dental care clinics and specialty clinics providing advanced treatment enable the School to offer dental services and programs to patients throughout Michigan. Classroom and clinic instruction prepare future dentists, dental specialists, and dental hygienists for practice in private offices, hospitals, academia, and public agencies. Research seeks to discover and apply new knowledge that can help patients worldwide. For more information about the School of Dentistry, visit the Web at: www.dent.umich.edu.

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