Giuseppe Intini, DDS, PhD

Born in Italy, Dr. Giuseppe (Beppe) Intini earned a degree in dentistry in 1995 from the University of L'Aquila (Italy). In 2000, he received a Master's degree in Oral Sciences from the University at Buffalo (NY), and in 2007 he received a PhD in Oral Biology and a certificate in clinical Periodontology from the University at Buffalo (NY). He is a Diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology. From 2007 to 2012 he was a postdoctoral fellow of Developmental Biology at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine in Boston (MA) and from 2012 to 2018 he has been an Assistant Professor of Oral Medicine, Infection, and Immunity at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine in Boston (MA). Dr. Intini is an Associate Professor of Periodontics and Preventive Dentistry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine and an Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. In addition, he is a member of the Center for Craniofacial Regeneration at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine, a visiting faculty at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston (MA), and a lecturer at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine in Boston (MA). He is the Editor of the Translational Craniofacial and Dental Medicine section of the Journal of Translational Medicine and a co-director of the Pittsburgh Center for Interdisciplinary Bone and Mineral Research (PCIBMR). As a clinician/periodontist, Dr. Intini has interest in periodontal regeneration and bone augmentation procedures. As a researcher, Dr. Intini oversees the research at the Intini Lab, which focuses on skeletal stem cells and of bone cancer stem cells. Genetic strategies and in vivo imaging are utilized to describe the location and function of these cells and the molecular mechanisms that control their "stemness” in health and disease.  Current skeletal stem cells research: The laboratory has identified the calvarial suture as the niche of osteoprogenitor cells expressing Prx1, a transcription factor highly expressed during embryonic development. Current research, supported by Federal funds (NIH/NIDCR) and by startup funds from the University of Pittsburgh, aims at harnessing these cells to develop novel strategies to foster craniofacial tissue regeneration and to intercept the development of craniofacial malformations (craniosynostosis). Additional projects focus on strategies to utilize Prx1 expressing cells for regeneration of other skeletal regions. Current bone cancer stem cells research: The laboratory is interested in dissecting the cellular dynamics of osteosarcoma development and metastases. Federal funds (NIH/NCI) have been utilized to generate a novel multifluorescent mouse model of osteosarcoma and startup funds from the University of Pittsburgh are utilized to identify novel strategies to prevent osteosarcoma metastases, the ultimate cause of death in children with this aggressive form of cancer. Dr. Intini can be reached at: School of Dental Medicine University of Pittsburgh Department of Periodontics and Preventive Dentistry 335 Sutherland Drive, 508 Salk Pavilion Pittsburgh, PA 15261 FAX: 412 624-6685