Dr. Juan Taboas is a multi-disciplinary scientist and an Associate Professor with the Department of Oral and Craniofacial Sciences in the School of Dental Medicine and with the Department of Biomedical Engineering in the Swanson School of Engineering. He is also a Professor in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute.
Dr. Taboas is a biomedical engineer trained in orthopedic and dental regenerative medicine. He earned his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Miami (Florida) and earned his master’s degree in Engineering Science (Biomechanical Engineering) from Stanford University. He then entered the PhD program at the University of Michigan, where he earned a doctorate in Biomedical Engineering and master’s in Mechanical Engineering. He performed his postgraduate training at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (Polymers Division, NIST) and at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS, NIH).
Dr. Taboas’ passion is regenerative therapies for children and underserved communities. His laboratory develops novel hydrogel biomaterials and drug delivery to mitigate disease and regenerate tissues of the craniofacial and appendicular skeleton, particularly bone, cartilage, and tooth pulp. His team also studies pathogenesis of skeletal diseases in engineered tissue models. With these tools, they can control stem cell differentiation, tissue formation and endochondral ossification. He holds patents for microfluidic culture systems, scaffold fabrication, and regenerative therapies for disease and injury of the growth plate and teeth of children. He enjoys collaborations, having served as the principal investigator of five multi-site extramural grants funded by the NIH and DoD.
Dr. Taboas is a Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors and a member of Tau Beta Pi, the Orthopedic Research Society (ORS), the Tissue Engineering International and Regenerative Medicine Society (TERMIS), and the American Association for Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research (AADOCR). He is a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DoD). He reviews manuscripts for several journals, including Acta Biomaterialia, Biomedical Materials, PLOS One, and The Journal of Dental Research. He also serves as a representative of the School of Dental Medicine on the Senate of the University of Pittsburgh, the official University body for shared governance.
Dr. Taboas’s research interests include repair and regeneration of skeletal and craniofacial tissues, with a focus on bone and cartilaginous interfacial tissues. Current research includes:
- Physeal regeneration in juveniles to treat growth plate injury (tethers, osteosarcoma), skeletal dysplasia and complex bone injury;
- Physeal fracture repair in juveniles: tissue glue to promote proper healing
- Dental pulp regeneration in juveniles: injectable biomaterial to recruit stem cells and guide vital tissue formation (collaboration with Drs. Beniash, Ray and Sfeir)
- Extremity regeneration in adults: bone engineering in compromised wounds (e.g. blast injury, open fractures, collaboration with Drs. Almarza, Davis and Wang)
- Microtissue fabrication for drug screening and therapy development. Can be cultured in custom microfluidic bioreactors design in house.