Sunita Ho, MS, PhD

Professor
Preventive & Restor Dent Sci
+1 415 514-2818

Mechanical loads manifest into strains within tissues and interfaces of an organ. Strains within tissues are transduced by the cells to produce the needed extracellular matrix proteins to meet functional demands. This is the general philosophy of research in my laboratory which is within the Division of Biomaterials and Bioengineering. Our lab has a strong focus on mechanics, materials, and investigating adaptation of tissues/interfaces through spatiotemporal mapping of “mechano-responsiveness”. This is done by correlating mechanical strain induced biochemical signals at soft-hard tissue interfaces using several model systems including the bone-ligament-tooth fibrous joint.

Due to the interdisciplinary nature of research, my laboratory is extended to the Molecular Foundry of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) with the help of NIH and DOE funded/peer-reviewed proposals. Mapping of biochemical expressions, physical properties of load bearing tissues, and biomechanics of organs are performed at UCSF, and as a guest scientist at the national laboratories/facilities.

Publications: 

Architecture-Guided Fluid Flow Directs Renal Biomineralization.

Scientific reports

Ho SP, Chen L, Allen FI, Hsi RS, Shimotake AR, Wiener SV, Kang M, Minor AM, Stoller ML

A Force on the Crown and Tug of War in the Periodontal Complex

Journal of Dental Research (Invited Submission, under review)

Andrew T. Jang, Ling Chen, Alex R. Shimotake, William Landis, Virginia Altoe, Shaul Aloni, Mark Ryder, Sunita P. Ho

Micro-anatomical responses in the periodontal complex to calibrated orthodontic forces on the crown

Orthodontics and Craniofacial Research (Invited Submission; under review)

A. Pal, L. Chen, L. Yang, F. Yang, B.Meng, A.H. Jheon, S.P. Ho

Periodontal Ligament Entheses and their Adaptive Role in the Context of Dentoalveolar Joint Function

Dental Materials (Invited Submission; under review)

Jeremy D. Lin, Andrew T. Jang, Michael P. Kurylo, Jonathan Hurng, Feifei Yang, Lynn Yang, Arvin Pal, Ling Chen, Sunita P. Ho

A Critical Role of TRPM7 As an Ion Channel Protein in Mediating the Mineralization of the Craniofacial Hard Tissues.

Frontiers in physiology

Nakano Y, Le MH, Abduweli D, Ho SP, Ryazanova LV, Hu Z, Ryazanov AG, Den Besten PK, Zhang Y

Biomechanics and strain mapping in bone as related to immediately-loaded dental implants.

Journal of biomechanics

Du J, Lee JH, Jang AT, Gu A, Hossaini-Zadeh M, Prevost R, Curtis DA, Ho SP

Strain-guided mineralization in the bone–PDL–cementum complex of a rat periodontium

Bone reports

Kathryn Grandfield, Ralf-Peter Herber, Ling Chen, Sabra Djomehri, Caleb Tam, Ji-Hyun Lee,
Evan Brown, Wood R.Woolwine III, Don Curtis, Mark Ryder, JimSchuck, Samuel Webb,
William Landis, Sunita P. Ho

Mineral density volume gradients in normal and diseased human tissues.

PloS one

Djomehri SI, Candell S, Case T, Browning A, Marshall GW, Yun W, Lau SH, Webb S, Ho SP

Essential role of osterix for tooth root but not crown dentin formation.

Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research

Zhang H, Jiang Y, Qin C, Liu Y, Ho SP, Feng JQ

Differentiating Zones at Periodontal Ligament-Bone and Periodontal Ligament-Cementum Entheses

Journal of periodontal research

Ji-Hyun Lee, Brian A. Pryce, Ronen Schweitzer, Mark I. Ryder, Sunita P. Ho

Removal of SOST or blocking its product sclerostin rescues defects in the periodontitis mouse model.

FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

Ren Y, Han X, Ho SP, Harris SE, Cao Z, Economides AN, Qin C, Ke H, Liu M, Feng JQ

Fluorosed mouse ameloblasts have increased SATB1 retention and Gaq activity.

PloS one

Zhang Y, Kim JY, Horst O, Nakano Y, Zhu L, Radlanski RJ, Ho S, Den Besten PK

The narwhal (Monodon monoceros) cementum-dentin junction: a functionally graded biointerphase.

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part H, Journal of engineering in medicine

Grandfield K, Chattah NL, Djomehri S, Eidelmann N, Eichmiller FC, Webb S, Schuck PJ, Nweeia M, Ho SP

Adaptive properties of human cementum and cementum dentin junction with age.

Journal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials

Jang AT, Lin JD, Choi RM, Choi EM, Seto ML, Ryder MI, Gansky SA, Curtis DA, Ho SP

In situ compressive loading and correlative noninvasive imaging of the bone-periodontal ligament-tooth fibrous joint.

Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE

Jang AT, Lin JD, Seo Y, Etchin S, Merkle A, Fahey K, Ho SP

Acetic and lactic acids create different artificial dentin lesions: kinetics, ultrastructure and mechanical properties (under review)

Acetic and lactic acids create different artificial dentin lesions: kinetics, ultrastructure and mechanical properties (under review)

Y-C Chien, A.K. Burwell, K. Saeki, A. Fernandez-Martinez, M.K. Pugach, G. Nonomura, S. Habelitz, S.P. Ho, M. Rapozo-Hilo, J.D. Featherstone, S.J. Marshall and G.W. Marshall

The plastic nature of the human bone-periodontal ligament-tooth fibrous joint.

Bone

Ho SP, Kurylo MP, Grandfield K, Hurng J, Herber RP, Ryder MI, Altoe V, Aloni S, Feng JQ, Webb S, Marshall GW, Curtis D, Andrews JC, Pianetta P

BMI1 represses Ink4a/Arf and Hox genes to regulate stem cells in the rodent incisor.

Nature cell biology

Biehs B, Hu JK, Strauli NB, Sangiorgi E, Jung H, Heber RP, Ho S, Goodwin AF, Dasen JS, Capecchi MR, Klein OD

Biomechanics of a bone-periodontal ligament-tooth fibrous joint

Journal of biomechanics

Lin, J.D. and Özcoban, H. and Greene, J.P. and Jang, A.T. and Djomehri, S.I. and Fahey, K.P. and Hunter, L.L. and Schneider, G.A. and Ho, S.P.

Elastic discontinuity due to ectopic calcification in a human fibrous joint

Acta Biomaterilia

Lin, J.D. and Aloni, S. and Altoe, V. and Webb, S.M. and Ryder, M.I. and Ho, S.P

Biomechanics of a bone-periodontal ligament-tooth fibrous joint.

Journal of biomechanics

Lin JD, Özcoban H, Greene JP, Jang AT, Djomehri SI, Fahey KP, Hunter LL, Schneider GA, Ho SP

Matrix metalloproteinase-13 is required for osteocytic perilacunar remodeling and maintains bone fracture resistance.

Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research

Tang SY, Herber RP, Ho SP, Alliston T

Functional remineralization of dentin lesions using polymer-induced liquid-precursor process.

PloS one

Burwell AK, Thula-Mata T, Gower LB, Habelitz S, Habeliz S, Kurylo M, Ho SP, Chien YC, Cheng J, Cheng NF, Gansky SA, Marshall SJ, Marshall GW

Age-related adaptation of bone-PDL-tooth complex: Rattus-Norvegicus as a model system.

PloS one

Leong NL, Hurng JM, Djomehri SI, Gansky SA, Ryder MI, Ho SP

Effects of biglycan on physico-chemical properties of ligament-mineralized tissue attachment sites

Archives of oral biology

Chiu, R. and Li, W. and Herber, R.P. and Marshall, S.J. and Young, M. and Ho, S.P.

Imaging an Adapted Dentoalveolar Complex

Anatomy Research International

Herber, R, Fong, J, Lucas, S & Ho, S

PLoS One

Age-related adaptation of bone-PDL-tooth complex: Rattus-Norvegicus as a model system

Leong, N.L. and Hurng, J.M. and Djomehri, S.I. and Gansky, S.A. and Ryder, M.I. and Ho, S.P.,

Reduced functional loads alter the physical characteristics of the bone-periodontal ligament-cementum complex.

Journal of periodontal research

Niver EL, Leong N, Greene J, Curtis D, Ryder MI, Ho SP

Discontinuities in the human bone-PDL-cementum complex.

Biomaterials

Hurng JM, Kurylo MP, Marshall GW, Webb SM, Ryder MI, Ho SP

Multiple effects of the cellular prion protein on tooth development.

The International journal of developmental biology

Zhang Y, Kim SO, Opsahl-Vital S, Ho SP, Souron JB, Kim C, Giles K, Den Besten PK

The biomechanical characteristics of the bone-periodontal ligament-cementum complex.

Biomaterials

Ho SP, Kurylo MP, Fong TK, Lee SS, Wagner HD, Ryder MI, Marshall GW

Structure, chemical composition and mechanical properties of coronal cementum in human deciduous molars.

Dental materials : official publication of the Academy of Dental Materials

Ho SP, Senkyrikova P, Marshall GW, Yun W, Wang Y, Karan K, Li C, Marshall SJ

Enhanced osteocalcin expression by osteoblast-like cells (MC3T3-E1) exposed to bioactive coating glass (SiO2-CaO-P2O5-MgO-K2O-Na2O system) ions

Acta Biomaterilia

Varanasi, V.G. and Saiz, E. and Loomer, P.M. and Ancheta, B. and Uritani, N. and Ho, S.P. and Tomsia, A.P. and Marshall, S.J. and Marshall, G.W.

Advances in Polymeric Biomaterials

Surface Modification of Articulating Surfaces and Tribological Evaluation

Caldwell Rebecca, LaBerge Martine, and Ho Sunita

Tribology International

Conductive Composite of UHMWPE and CB as a Dynamic Contact Analysis Sensor

A.C. Clark, S. P. Ho, M. LaBerge

The cementum-dentin junction also contains glycosaminoglycans and collagen fibrils.

Journal of structural biology

Ho SP, Sulyanto RM, Marshall SJ, Marshall GW

Local properties of a functionally graded interphase between cementum and dentin.

Journal of biomedical materials research. Part A

Ho SP, Balooch M, Marshall SJ, Marshall GW

Experimental and numerical modeling of variable friction between nanoregions in coventional and crosslinked UHMWPE.

Journal of biomechanical engineering

Ho SP, Joseph PF, Drews MJ, Boland T, LaBerge M

Ultrastructure and nanomechanical properties of cementum dentin junction.

Journal of biomedical materials research. Part A

Ho SP, Balooch M, Goodis HE, Marshall GW, Marshall SJ

Frictional properties of poly(MPC-co-BMA) phospholipid polymer for catheter applications.

Biomaterials

Ho SP, Nakabayashi N, Iwasaki Y, Boland T, LaBerge M

Nanoindentation properties of compression-moulded ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene.

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part H, Journal of engineering in medicine

Ho SP, Riester L, Drews M, Boland T, LaBerge M

In vitro evaluation of phosphonylated low-density polyethylene for vascular applications.

Journal of biomedical materials research

Caldwell RA, Woodell JE, Ho SP, Shalaby SW, Boland T, Langan EM, LaBerge M

Effects of the sample preparation temperature on the nanostructure of compression moulded ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene.

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part H, Journal of engineering in medicine

Ho SP, Riester L, Drews M, Boland T, LaBerge M

Wear

Nanotribology of CoCr-UHMWPE TJR Prosthesis Using Atomic Force Microscopy

S. P. Ho, R. W. Carpick, T. Boland, M. LaBerge

Critical Reviews in Biomedical Engineering

Failure analysis of anatomic porous hip replacement (APR IIS)

Ho, S.P. and Friedman, R.J. and LaBerge, M

Determination of the PULSTAR Reactor Neutron Energy Spectrum, Journal of Energy Conversion and Management

Determination of the PULSTAR Reactor Neutron Energy Spectrum, Journal of Energy Conversion and Management

Pullela S. V.

Interaction of Thermal-Radiation with Laminar Natural-Convection from a Horizontal Cylinder in Air, Warme und Stoffunbertragung-Thermo and Fluid Dynamics, 26(2), 65-69

Interaction of Thermal-Radiation with Laminar Natural-Convection from a Horizontal Cylinder in Air, Warme und Stoffunbertragung-Thermo and Fluid Dynamics, 26(2), 65-69

Sarma P. K., Sunita P. V.

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