Rena N. D'Souza (born January 22, 1955) is a clinician-scientist and Director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. She was formerly the assistant vice president for academic affairs and education for health sciences at the University of Utah where she was also a Professor of Dentistry in the School of Dentistry and a Professor of Neurobiology and Anatomy in the School of Medicine.[1]
D'Souza's research interests center on tissue engineering and dental care, working with tooth stem cells to develop a method to re-grow the living tissue and eliminate the need for root canals.[2][3] She has worked with colleagues to attempt to regenerate tooth pulp using a gelatin-like proteinhydrogel, which serves as a base into which pulp cells, blood vessels, and nerves can grow.[4] Her research group has also worked to understand the underlying genetic basis for cleft palate working with mice as a model system, linking the condition to a mutation in the PAX9 gene. They found that they could inject pregnant mice carrying babies with cleft palates with a drug that could restore the palatal shelves of their pups.[5] In June 2020, D'Souza became the inaugural Ole and Marty Jensen Endowed Chair, which was established to enable further innovations in tissue engineering for dental and craniofacial research.[2]
