Awards

Funding Agency: NIH/NINDS (1 R01 NS110948-01A1)
Title: Mechanisms for Omega-6 Modulation of Primary Afferent Nociceptors
Status: Active
Period: 09/18/2019 - 11/30/2024
Role: Principal Investigator
Grant Details: To determine the effects and mechanisms for omega-6 PUFAs on pain and nociceptor sensitization.

Funding Agency: NIH/NCATS (UL1 TR 001120-05)
Title: Clinical and Translational Science Award, CTSA program (includes Mentored Career Development Award KL2 TR001118 and Training Award TL1 TR 001119) Institute for Integration of Medicine & Science: A Partnership to Improve Health Major
Status: Active
Period: 11/01/2018 - 04/30/2023
Role: Co-Principal Investigator (Clark and Hargreaves)
Grant Details: This Clinical and Translational Science Award provides a broad range of research infrastructure support.

Funding Agency: NIH/NIDCR (R01 DE026139)
Title: Regulation of TRPV1 activities by a sexually dimorphic mechanism
Status: Active
Period: 09/01/2016 - 08/31/2021
Role: Principal Investigator
Grant Details: To determine mechanisms regulating the release and actions of C3a and C5a on TRPV1.

Funding Agency: NIH/NIDCR (T32 DE014318-19)
Title: Craniofacial Oral-biology Student Training in Academic Research (COSTAR) (Comprehensive Oral Science Training and Research)
Status: Active
Period: 12/01/2018 – 11/30/2023
Role: Principal Investigator
Grant Details: This is a training grant with tracks in training DDS/PhD students, PhD students and postdoctoral fellows in dental and craniofacial related research.

Funding Agency: American Association of Endodontists Foundation (AAEF)
Title: Regeneration of pulp-dentin development in teeth with necrotic pulps
Status: Active
Period: 12/01/2013 – 11/30/2020
Role: Principal Investigator
Grant Details: This is a multi-center randomized controlled clinical trial evaluating regenerative endodontic therapies to MTA apexification.

Funding Agency: William and Ella Owens Medical Research Foundation
Title: A Novel Approach to Pain Control
Status: Active
Period: 01/01/2018 – 11/31/2020
Role: Principal Investigator
Grant Details: To identify novel ways to treat pain.

2019 Glenn Walters receiving the Cal Tornick PT Educator Award.

2020 KMH AAE President’s Award. 

2018 ADA Gold Medal Award for Research.

2018 Outstanding Individual Research Award, United States Military Health System Research Symposium.

2018 Honorary Membership, American Academy of Oral Medicine for “Outstanding contribution to the Art and Science of Oral Medicine

Funding Agency: NIH/NINDS (1 R01 NS112263-01A1)
Title: Lymphotoxin-beta receptor peripheral signaling regulates the transition to inflammation and neuropathy-induced chronic pain.
Status: Active
Period: 05/15/2020 - 03/31/2025
Role: Multi-PI: Akopian and Tumanov
Grant Details: The major goals are to examine roles of Lymphotoxin-beta receptor (LTbR) peripheral signaling in control of inflammatory and neuropathy pain initiation, maintenance and resolution.

Funding Agency: NIH/NIDCR (R01 DE029187)
Title: LIGHT and Lymphotoxin targeting for the treatment of chronic orofacial pain conditions
Period: 09/01/19 - 08/31/24 
Role: Multi-PI:  Akopian, S. Ruparel and Tumanov
Grant Details: The proposed research major goal is to advance our understanding of mechanisms regulating the development and maintenance of orofacial pain; and offers targets and an immunotherapeutic approach for preventing and blocking chronic pain during TMJD and oral cancer.

Funding Agency: NIH Supplement from NIDCR (3 R01 DE029187-01S1)
Title: Role of LIGHT/LTBR in orofacial pain in non-human primates.
Status: Active
Period: 08/01/2020 - 07/31/2021
Role: Multi-PI: Akopian, Ruparel
Grant Details: The purpose of this grant is to study pain targets in non-human primates

Funding Agency: NIH/NIGMS (Akopian)
Title: Prolactin regulation of postoperative pain in males and females
Period: 09/01/2015 - 08/31/2020 (NCE)
Role: Principal Investigator
Grant Details: The major goals of this project are to identify and characterize female-specific pharmacology of PRL receptor antagonists in regulation of postoperative pain.

Funding Agency: NIH/NIDCR
Title: Regulation of TRPV1 activities by a sexually dimorphic mechanism
Status: Active
Period: 09/01/2016 - 08/31/2021
Role: Co-Investigator (Hargreaves)
Grant Details: The main goal of this project is to examine sex-dependent modulation of tooth pain by compliment C3a and TRPV1.

Funding Agency: NIH/NINDS (5 R01 NS102161)
Title: Sex-specific regulation of local translation and chronic pain mechanisms in females
Status: Active
Period: 04/01/18-03/31/23
Role: Multi-PI:  Price and Akopian
Grant Details: The project will look at how gonadal hormones control plasticity phenotypes control chronicity of pain in females by involving local translation and especially prolactin receptor translation.

Funding Agency: NIH/NINDS (R01 NS104200)
Title: Meningeal prolactin signaling and female-selective migraine mechanisms
Status: Active
Period: 09/01/18-08/31/23
Role: Multi-PI:  Dussor and Akopian
Grant Details: The major goals of this project are to study the role of meningeal prolactin system in female-selective mechanisms of migraine triggered by vasodilatory hormone CGRP and stress.

Funding Agency: NIH/NIDCR (R01 DE027929)
Title: Trigeminal Afferent Regulation of Apical Periodontitis
Status: Active
Period: 08/01/2018 – 07/31/2023
Role: Co-Investigator (Diogenes)
Grant Details: This grant will evaluate how different trigeminal afferent subtypes modulate the development and maintenance of apical periodontitis.

Funding Agency: American Association of Endodontists Foundation (AAEF)
Title: Impact of final apical size preparation on root canal treatment success: A clinical, microbiological and volumetric evaluation
Status: Active
Period: 2017 - present
Role: Principal Investigator
Grant Details: this study assesses the difference in healing after root canal instrumentation to either a small or a larger apical size. The study also assesses the differences in microbiome compositions after different apical size preparations.

Funding Agency: UT Health School of Dentistry’s Pilot Grant
Title: Cannabidiol (CBD) analgesic mechanisms for Dental Pain
Status: Active
Period: 2019 - present
Role: Principal Investigator
Grant Details: the study assesses the CBD effect on mouse trigeminal ganglion neurons. We hypothesize that CBD produces an analgesic effect.

Funding Agency: NIH/NIDCR (R01 DE027929)
Title: Trigeminal Afferents Regulation of Apical Periodontitis Development
Status: Active
Period: 08/01/2018 – 07/31/2023
Role: Principal Investigator
Grant Details: This grant will evaluate how different trigeminal afferent subtypes modulate the development and maintenance of apical periodontitis following dental infection.

Funding Agency: NIH/NIDCR (1 R03 DE027780)
Title: Endogenous Peripheral Pain Regulatory Systems in Orofacial Pain Patients
Status: Active
Period: 2018 – 2020
Role: Principal Investigator
Grant Details: This grant aims to evaluate mechanisms inhibiting pain in asymptomatic dental pain patients to develop novel analgesics for pain.

Funding Agency: NIH/NIDCR (R01 DE026139)
Title: Regulation of TRPV1 activities by a sexually dimorphic mechanism
Status: Active
Period: 2016 – 2021
Role: Co-Investigator (Hargreaves)
Grant Details: The main goal of this project is to examine sex-dependent modulation of tooth pain by compliment C3a and TRPV1.

Funding Agency: NIH/NINDS (R01 DE027223)
Title: Role of Peripheral BDNF Signaling in Oral Cancer Pain
Status: Active
Period: 08/01/2017 – 07/31/2021
Role: Principal Investigator
Grant Details: The purpose of this grant is to elucidate the peripheral role of BDNF in oral cancer pain.

Funding Agency: NIH/NIDCR (R01 DE029187)
Title: LIGHT and Lymphotoxin targeting for the treatment of chronic orofacial pain conditions
Period: 09/01/2019 – 08/31/2024
Role: Multi-PI: Akopian, S. Ruparel and Tumanov
Grant Details: The proposed research major goal is to advance our understanding of mechanisms regulating the development and maintenance of orofacial pain; and offers targets and an immunotherapeutic approach for preventing and blocking chronic pain during TMJD and oral cancer.

Funding Agency: NIH Supplement from NIDCR (3 R01 DE029187-01S1)
Title: Role of LIGHT/LTBR in orofacial pain in non-human primates.
Status: Active
Period: 08/01/2020 – 07/31/2021
Role: Multi-PI: Akopian, Ruparel
Grant Details: The purpose of this grant is to study pain targets in non-human primates

2020 Dominic Arris

1. Won 3rd place at Dental Science Symposium 2020 in the PhD/resident category.
2. Accepted into the COSTAR grant program in 2020

2019 Shivam Patel (UTHSCSA Dental Student Class of 2022)

Title of research: Endogenous Role of Peripheral Regulating Systems in Orofacial Pain Patients

1. Won 1st place at Dental Science Symposium 2020
2. Awarded with the AADR Student Research Day Award for the American Association for Dental Research, 2020
3. Selected for Hatton award at AADR 2020

2019 Akihiko Osada (UTHSCSA Dental Student Class of 2022)

Title of research: Mechanisms of Stem Cell-induced Analgesia

1. Won 1st place at Dental Science Symposium 2020

2018 Saeed Bayat, DDS

Title of research: in vivo Anti-inflammatory Role of Oral Mesenchymal Stem Cells and it’s Soluble factors in Orofacial Inflammatory Pain

1. Won 2nd place in the oral presentation category at the annual American Association of Endodontists Meeting 2018

2018 Cameron Ritter, DDS

Title of research: Effect of Residual Biofilm on Release and Activity of Growth Factors from Dentin

1. Funded by a grant from the American Association of Endodontists Foundation (PI: Cameron Ritter)          
2. Won 1st place in the oral presentation category at the annual American Association of Endodontists Meeting 2018

2018 Jenny Sun, DDS

Title of research: Comparative Evaluation of Coronal and Radicular Dentin Growth Factors and their Effect on Mineralization, Angiogenesis and Neurogenesis

Funded by a grant from The American Association of Endodontists Foundation (PI: Jenny Sun)

2018 Obadah Austah, DDS, MS, PhD

Title of research: Role of sensory innervation in modulating the initiation and development of apical periodontitis

Funded by a grant from The American Association of Endodontists Foundation (PI: Obadah Austah)

2018 Shilpa Ganatra, BDS

Laboratory training with trigeminal neuronal cultures, mouse surgeries, biochemical assays, calcium imaging and behavioral assays

1. Won 2nd place at Dental Science Symposium 2019

2018 Robert Brock (UTHSCSA Dental Student Class of 2021

Title of research: Mechanisms of Stem Cell-mediated Analgesia

1. Won 1st place at Dental Science Symposium 2019
2. Awarded with the AADR Student Research Day Award for the American Association for Dental Research, 2019
3. Selected for Hatton award at AADR 2019

2017 Samantha Whitten (UTHSCSA Dental Student Class of 2020)

Title of research: in vivo Anti-inflammatory Role of Oral Mesenchymal Stem Cells and it’s Soluble factors in Orofacial Inflammatory Pain

1. Won 2nd place in the poster presentation category at the Annual Dental Science Symposium 2018

2017 Thomas Khuong Nguyen (UTHSCSA Dental Student Class of 2019)

Title of research: Immunoregulatory Role of Stem Cells of Apical Papilla (SCAP)

1. Funded by a grant from The American Association of Endodontists Foundation (PI: Nikita Ruparel)
2. Won 1st place at Dental Science Symposium 2017
3. Awarded with the ADA/DENTSPLY Sirona Student Clinician Research Award (SCADA)
4. Selected for Hatton award at AADR 2017
5. Won 1st place for “Most Outstanding Poster Research Presentation” at The Hinmann Symposium, Tennessee
6. He was a finalist in the CAULK-DENTSPLY student research competition at the 2018 American Association for Dental Research annual meeting

2016 Lilley Gharavi, BDS

Title of research: The Expression and Function of Transient Receptor Potential Channels on Stem Cells of Apical Papilla

1. Funded by a grant from the American Association of Endodontists Foundation (PI: Lilley Gharavi)
2. Won2nd place in the oral presentation category at the annual American Association of Endodontists Meeting 2016

2016 Abdulmajeed M. Al Shujaa, DDS

Title of research: Characterization of Pain-Modulating Substances in Periradicular Lesions from Teeth with Symptomatic and Asymptomatic Periradicular Pathology

Funded by a grant from the American Association of Endodontists Foundation (PI: Abdulmajeed M Al Shujaa)