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140 The
Contact:
Jennifer Kelly 617-892-8602 jkelly@forsyth.org
For Immediate
Release
June
6, 2006
FORSYTH TO TAKE LEADERSHIP ROLE IN TMJ/TMJD RESEARCH
Scientist Appointed as the Milton & Renée Glass Family Fellow in Jaw Joints & Allied Musculo-Skeletal Research
Boston ¾ The Forsyth Institute has announced the appointment
of Lin Xu, MD, PhD, as the Milton &
Renée Glass Family Fellow in Jaw Joints & Allied Musculo-Skeletal
Research. Dr. Dominick DePaola,
President and Chief Executive of Forsyth said, “I am delighted with the
appointment and with the entry into this exciting new field of research for
Forsyth. It represents a breakthrough in the application of basic science into
a craniofacial disorder affecting millions of Americans.” Dr. Xu’s current
research focuses on the underlying causes including genetic factors, of
osteoarthritis in the jaw joints.
Arthritis is widely considered a co-morbid condition of
temporomandibular muscle (jaw) joint disorders/disease (TMJ/TMJD) the same
painful and disabling condition that affects other joints in the body.
Dr. Xu’s experience and
breadth of scientific inquiry fits well within the fellowship mission to
explore growth and development of healthy jaw joints in children as they
develop pre- and post- natally. Subsequently, the investigation will explore
the disorders/diseases of the temporomandibular joints and overlapping or
co-morbid health disorders, through genetic and molecular science.
“This is a landmark appointment for Forsyth,”
said Dr. Richard Pharo, Vice President of Operations for Forsyth and Chairman
of the Fellowship
Dr.
Lin Xu joins Forsyth from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, where she
worked as a Research Associate in the Department of Developmental Biology.
During the past three years, Dr. Xu’s research examined the pathogenetic
mechanisms of non-inflammatory degenerative disorders, with a specific focus on
the jaw joints. Although she is
relatively early in her research career, Dr. Xu already has been recognized as
one of the most promising of investigators in the field of TMJD research. She has published 15 scientific papers on her
TMJD research. Thus, she brings
important background experience to Forsyth in this fellowship. Dr. Xu obtained her medical degree from
-MORE-
The
Milton & Renée Glass Family Fellowship
supports the research efforts of postdoctoral fellows at The Forsyth Institute
for the study of temporomandibular joints disease and related musculo-skeletal
disorders with the goal of understanding the disease, preventing it, and
identifying effective therapies for its treatment. The TMJ research program at
Forsyth also will provide a unique opportunity to promote awareness of TMJD
with special emphasis on TMJD in children.
This
Fellowship honors Milton L. Glass, who has served as a member of the Board of
Directors and Board of Trustees of the Institute since 1986. The fellowship also recognizes and honors his
wife, Renée Glass, for her dedication to Forsyth and to the issue of Temporomandibular
Joint and Muscle Diseases and Disorders.
“In our work in awareness and prevention of TMJD we
stress the fact that healthy Jaw Joints are critical to whole body health. TMJD has long been the “stepchild of the
healing arts.” We hope to re-join the
jaw joints to all other joints in the body and in the process engage the
medical community along side the dental community in resolving this devastating
disorder/disease,” said Renée Glass.
“By bringing basic scientific research into the TMJD
paradigm and co-joining medical and dental science at Forsyth, this is a giant
step forward of historic proportions for the multitudes suffering from
jaw-joint diseases/disorders. It offers
hope where misconceptions, misdiagnosis, stigmatism and mistreatment of TMJ
sufferers have been the rule. It breaks a logjam,” said
The Glasses founded the Jaw Joints & Allied
Musculo-Skeletal Disorders Foundation (JJAMD), a 501(c)(3) organization, in
1982. JJAMD is the nation’s pioneer TMJD patient advocacy organization. Their passion and dedication have increased
public awareness of the debilitating medical and oral health disorder. JJAMD’s
work with NIH/NIDCR has earned them membership on the NIHTMJD Interagency
Working Group, where they participate in planning and discussions involved with
a number of governmental agencies either actively involved or potentially
participants in TMJD research. Through
close collaboration with Forsyth, JJAMD is addressing an NIH initiative
involving advocacy organizations in research. Further information can be
obtained by accessing JJAMD’s web site www.tmjoints.org.
The Forsyth Institute is the world’s leading independent
nonprofit research organization focused on oral, craniofacial, and related
biomedical science. Established in 1910,
Forsyth’s mission is to lead the discovery, communication, and application of
breakthroughs in oral health and disease prevention that will significantly
improve the health and well-being of the nation and the world. For more
information about Forsyth visit its web site at www.forsyth.org.
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