You Are Here: Home >>Research >>Teams

Research

Yuming Zhao Lab

(Tissue Regeneration, Vital Pulp Preservation and Tooth Development Research Group)

Our research group focuses on applying stem cells and their derivatives combined with biomaterials to promote tissue regeneration, exploring pulp-capping materials for vital pulp preservation, and elucidating key molecules and signaling pathways in tooth development.

Direction 1: Our primary focus explores the regenerative potential of MSCs and their derivatives combined with biomaterials. Specifically, we employ dental-derived stem cells (e.g., SHED) and their paracrine factors, either loaded onto microcarriers or as standalone aggregates, to enhance functional pulp and bone regeneration in craniofacial and oral applications.

图片24.png

Figure 1 Functional pulp and bone regeneration via applying MSCs, their derivatives and biomaterials

Direction 2: We develop novel biomaterials for vital pulp therapy, aiming to maximize inflammatory pulp repair and promote continued root development in young permanent teeth.

Direction 3: We investigate molecular mechanisms governing tooth development, identifying key regulatory pathways and novel factors influencing tooth morphogenesis and function.

DIRECTOR

图片25.png

Yuming Zhao

Professor, Chief Physician

Principal Investigator

yuming_zhao@hotmail.com

Yuming Zhao serves as a doctoral supervisor and deputy head of the Pediatric Department. She is a standing committee member of the Pediatric Dentistry Branch of the Chinese Stomatological Association, a member of the International Association of Paediatric Dentistry’s member committee, and a reviewer for the Chinese Journal of Stomatology. Also, she is an expert in the fields of biomedicine and healthcare for the Beijing Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, and a forensic expert for medical malpractice liability in the Beijing Medical Association. With over 20 years in pediatric dentistry, she has contributed to 4 oral medicine textbooks and 4 teaching references, and translated 7 English pediatric dentistry textbooks. She has led and participated in 12 national and provincial research projects, and received 2 third prizes, including from the Beijing Science and Technology Award (2011) and the Chinese Medical Science and Technology Award (2019). She has published over 100 papers, with more than 50 indexed by SCI.

RESEARCH AREAS

Tissue Regeneration

Our previous work has pioneered the development of optimized SHED aggregates and SHED-laden cryogel microcarriers for pulp regeneration, achieving functional vascularized pulp regeneration in vivo through enhanced stem cell functionality. In bone regeneration, we innovatively established a modular co-delivery system for BMSCs and HUVECs, enabling synergistic osteogenesis-angiogenesis with high cell viability. Building upon stem cell aggregate derivatives, we further engineered SHED exosome-modified polyester microspheres, which successfully promoted vascularized bone regeneration in animal models. These advancements establish a solid foundation for stem cell-biomaterial synergy in functional tissue regeneration.

图片26.png

Vital Pulp Preservation

Our primary study developed an amorphous calcium phosphate/poly (L-lactic acid)-poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) membrane compounded with aspirin. The composite membrane, used as a pulp-capping material, allowed for the sequential release of the anti-in ammatory drug aspirin as well as the calcium/phosphorus ions required for mineralization. It had the dual effects of reducing inflammation and promoting mineralized barrier formation. The composite membrane represents a promising vital pulp conservation material with the potential for clinical applications.

图片27.png

Tooth Development

The study of tooth development regulation provides a critical opportunity to explore how tissue-tissue interactions govern organogenesis, while also offering insights into tooth regeneration. Leveraging single-cell RNA sequencing, we have constructed comprehensive atlases of human and mouse dental pulp cells across multiple spatial and temporal levels, uncovering distinct cellular subpopulations and their interactive networks. Through mutant models and in vitro experiments, we have elucidated the roles of Runx2, Notum, Mia and Wnt signaling pathway in tooth development and demonstrated their potential applications in pulp and dental regeneration. These findings advance our understanding of key signaling molecules in odontogenesis and pave the way for innovations in dentin biology and regenerative dentistry.

图片28.png

RECENT PUBLICATIONS

Bioinspired porous microspheres for sustained hypoxic exosomes release and vascularized bone regeneration

Bioactive Materials, February 2022

Boosting the angiogenesis potential of self-assembled mesenchymal stem cell spheroids by size mediated physiological hypoxia for vascularized pulp regeneration

Acta Biomaterialia, April 2025

Engineered 3D mesenchymal stem cell aggregates with multifunctional prowess for bone regeneration: Current status and future prospects

Journal of Advanced Research, April 2025

Vascularized pulp regeneration via injecting simvastatin functionalized GelMA cryogel microspheres loaded with stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth

Materials Today Bio, January 2022

Injectable GelMA Cryogel Microspheres for Modularized Cell Delivery and Potential Vascularized Bone Regeneration

Small, March 2021

Construction of multifunctional cell aggregates in angiogenesis and osteogenesis through incorporating hVE-cad-Fc-modified PLGA/β-TCP microparticles for enhancing bone regeneration

Journal of Materials Chemistry. B, May 2022

Controlled co-delivery system of magnesium and lanthanum ions for vascularized bone regeneration

Biomedical Materials, October 2021

Anti-Inflammatory and Mineralization Effects of an ASP/PLGA-ASP/ACP/PLLA-PLGA Composite Membrane as a Dental Pulp Capping Agent

Journal of Functional Biomaterials, July 2022

Effects of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) on the biological properties of human dental pulp stem cells and inflammatory pulp tissue

Archives of Oral Biology, May 2021

Melanoma-inhibiting activity promotes the migration and odontoblastic differentiation of stem cells of apical papilla

Archives of Oral Biology, January 2025

NOTUM plays a bidirectionally modulatory role in the odontoblastic differentiation of human stem cells from the apical papilla through the WNT/β-catenin signaling pathway

Archives of Oral Biology, April 2024

TEAM

图片29.png