Congratulations to Courtney Johnson, CU Dental DS1, for winning first place in the Hatton Competition (Junior Division) at the American Association of Dental Research (AADR) 47th Annual Meeting, held on March 21-24, 2018 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.
Working in the labs of Drs. David Clouthier and Lynn Heasley, Courtney examined the mechanism by which a specific human head and neck cancer xenograft undergoes bone formation. Using RNA-sequencing, histology and immunohistochemistry, Courtney found that human tumor cells released FGFs, which recruited and instructed the murine host stromal cells within the tumor to adopt a bone fate. The findings have implications for directed approaches to engineer bone in the future.
The Hatton Competition is designed for junior investigators (junior, senior and post-doctoral) who exhibit potential for a productive career in dental research. Based on submitted abstracts, nine national finalists were selected to submit an extended six page abstract and present an oral presentation at the AADR Annual Meeting. Courtney received a $1000 cash prize and a trip to London to present her work at the International Association of Dental Research in 2019. CU Dental is extremely proud of Courtney and her extraordinary work!