Current Positions

Assistant Professor, Department of Oral Biology, Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry
Investigator, Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba

Education

BDS Honours, Faculty of Dental Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
PhD, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan

Research Focus

Our lab focuses on the craniofacial development. Taking teleost fish, such as zebrafish (Danio rerio) and Mexican tetra fish (Astyanax mexicanus) as model animals, we study the evolutionary development of the dentition, sensory systems, and jaw bones. Formation of these structures involve complex interactions and we are interested in finding the molecular signaling pathways which regulate their development. This research addresses the questions related to the human congenital malformations and conserved mechanisms of head development. The following four projects are currently carried out.
1. Development of the Jaw Bones
2. Molecular mechanisms of tooth development
3. The role of neural crest cells on pigment cell biology
4. Bitter Taste Receptors in Blind Mexican Cavefish
During past year my lab had four publications and four conference presentations showcasing our
research findings.

Research Interests

- Identifying tooth defects as early diagnostic markers for the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
- Characterization of the Taste system of Mexican Cavefish
- Evolutionary conserved mechanisms in development and regeneration of the epithelial appendages