Ann Arbor, MI — June 13, 2007 — A University of Michigan School of Dentistry postdoctoral fellow is the first and only dentist in the nation to receive a new award presented by a foundation committed to fostering and developing the next generation of faculty members and research scientists.

Dr. Darnell Kaigler, who simultaneously pursued and earned a dental degree and a postdoctoral degree in the School's Oral Health Sciences DDS/PhD program, was the only dentist...and one of just 20 persons nationwide...to receive a Career Award for Medical Scientists (CAMS) from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. Nationwide, 153 individuals applied.

Winning the award means Kaigler will receive $700,000 during the next five years to help him make the transition from postdoctoral researcher to becoming a junior faculty member.

"I'm very honored to have been selected because it was a very competitive process," he said. Kaigler said each university and college, including the University of Michigan, had an opportunity to nominate five individuals before being selected to advance to a second level of consideration. In the second phase of competition, Kaigler had to submit detailed information about his research, academic achievements, and career plans, as well as agreeing to be interviewed.

"Being the only dentist in the nation to receive the award speaks highly of this University and for the profession of dentistry," Kaigler said. "It illustrates just how much of an impact dentistry is having on research, and to a great degree, the high regard others have of the research that is being conducted here at this School."

Kaigler's research interests include cell therapy approaches to treat alveolar bone defects. In one approach, cells are taken from a patient, treated, multiplied in a laboratory environment, and eventually reimplanted in the patient's oral cavity.

"Many times, when a person has a tooth extracted, there is insufficient bone remaining in the jaw to restore the area with a dental implant," he said. "So I'm trying to determine if there is a way that a small number of bone cells from a patient can be cultured externally and then transplanted back into the jaw so those cells grow and form new bone to replace the bone that has been lost."

Taking the research knowledge he gained during his postdoctoral research, Kaigler hopes to begin preliminary clinical studies at the Michigan Center for Oral Health Research within a year. Before any clinical trials can begin, however, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which regulates new therapies and treatments, will have to review and give its approval.

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.

###