Yunzhi Peter Yang

Administrative Appointments

• Director-at-Large, International Association For Dental Research (IADR) Implantology Research Group (2010 - present)
• Voting member, U.S. Technical Advisory Group for ISO/TC 106 Dentistry (2008 - present)
• Editorial Board, Journal of Thermodynamics & Catalysis (2010 - present)
• Editorial Board, Journal of Cancer Science & Therapy (2010 - present)
• Editorial Board, The International Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Implants (2007 - present)

Honors and Awards

• Research Diversity Supplement Award, National Institute of Health (2012-2014)
• Research Award, NanoHealth Alliance (2011-2013)
• Research Award, National Institute of Health (2011-2015)
• Wallace H. Coulter Fellow, Wallace H. Coulter Foundation (2011)
• Dean’s Teaching Excellence Award in “Scholarship of Engagement and Collaboration”, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (2011)

Professional Education

Postdoctoral Advisees

Yunqing Kang,  Dai Fei Ker,  Sungwoo Kim,  Angel Mercado-Pagan,  Yaser Shanjani

Internet Links

• Peter Yang Lab Site

Current Research Interests

Our research interests are in the areas of biomaterials, implant devices, drug delivery, and musculoskeletal tissue engineering. In particular, we are interested in developing bio-inspired biomaterials and platform technologies to engineer tissues and organs. We aim to improve understanding of tissue-like chemistry and structure approaches of implant device design and fabrication, how these lead to tissue-like properties and functions, and the extent to which they can enhance clinical outcomes. Our research methodology includes concept design and development, characterization and evaluation, in vitro and in vivo validation of novel biomaterials and implant devices. Our current program comprises the following themes: Enabling technology for musculoskeletal tissue engineering, surface nanotechnology for osseointegrated implant devices, and naturally derived novel biomaterials for cancer treatment.

Publications

• Sequential delivery of BMP-2 and IGF-1 using a chitosan gel with gelatin microspheres enhances early osteoblastic differentiation. Kim S, Kang Y, Krueger CA, Sen M, Holcomb JB, Chen D, Wenke JC, Yang Y. Acta Biomater. 2012
• Creation of bony microenvironment with CaP and cell-derived ECM to enhance human bone-marrow MSC behavior and delivery of BMP-2. Kang Y, Kim S, Khademhosseini A, Yang Y. Biomaterials. 2011; 32 (26): 6119-30
• Enhanced mechanical performance and biological evaluation of a PLGA coated β-TCP composite scaffold for load-bearing applications. Kang Y, Scully A, Young DA, Kim S, Tsao H, Sen M, Yang Y. Eur Polym J. 2011; 47 (8): 1569-1577
• In vitro evaluation of an injectable chitosan gel for sustained local delivery of BMP-2 for osteoblastic differentiation. Kim S, Tsao H, Kang Y, Young DA, Sen M, Wenke JC, Yang Y. J Biomed Mater Res B Appl Biomater. 2011; 99 (2): 380-90
• SAM-based Cell Transfer to Photopatterned Hydrogels for Microengineering Vascular-Like Structures N. Sadr, M. Zhu, T. Osaki, T. Kakegawa, Y. Yang, M. Moretti, J. Fukuda, A. Khademhosseini. Biomaterials. 2011: 32 7479-7490