About the Philips Institute

Since its inception in 1999, the VCU Philips Institute of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology has been the major focus for oral and dental research in the VCU School of Dentistry. The institute traces its origins back to the school’s strategic plan, put forward in the early 1990s, which called for the development of a research institute within the dental school complex. The plan was to generate a significant amount of contiguous, modern laboratory space that would serve as a platform for dental faculty and student research activities. Space on the fourth floor of the Wood Building was designated for renovation, a capital campaign launched, and gifts and pledges exceeded $5 million. The capstone gift of $1.25 million was made by Dr. John F. Philips, a 1969 alumnus, honoring the memory of his father who died of throat cancer in 1968.

The VCU Philips Institute benefitted immensely from the expert leadership of its founding director, Dr. Frank Macrina (now VCU Vice-President for Research), who shaped the institute into what it is today. The current faculty members have affiliate appointments in basic science departments within the School of Medicine (Microbiology & Immunology, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology), as well as in VCU Life Sciences (Center for the Study of Biological Complexity), enabling them to recruit and train predoctoral students. Similarly, faculty members in other VCU departments hold affiliate appointments in the VCU Philips Institute, enabling them to share expertise and resources more readily.

Vision and Mission

The mission of the VCU Philips Institute of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology is to serve the University and the Commonwealth as a center of educational and research excellence focused on infectious, neoplastic, and genetic diseases of the oral cavity, head, and neck.

The current faculty members work in several fields, including bacterial endocarditis (Dr. Todd Kitten), virulence of oral anaerobic bacteria and their roles in periodontal disease (Dr. Janina Lewis), regulatory mechanisms of bacterial virulence genes (Dr. Ping Xu), mechanisms of head and neck carcinogenesis and development of targeted therapeutics (Dr. Andrew Yeudall), and chemokine signaling (Dr. Hiroshi Miyazaki). They are supported by four laboratory technicians, nine postdoctoral research associates, fourteen graduate students, an administrative assistant and a grants specialist. Dr. Rita Shiang from the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics, who researches the craniofacial disorder Treacher-Collins syndrome, is an affiliate member of the Philips Institute.

Oral and craniofacial tissue engineering is viewed as a logical extension to ongoing Philips Institute research efforts. In this regard, an initiative to establish such a program is currently underway. It is envisioned that this will broaden the scope of the institute and create a highly integrative and multidisciplinary research environment focused on oral and craniofacial diseases.

Selected Achievements

To date, VCU Philips Institute faculty have received $20.7 million in research funding to support their efforts. Faculty members serve on the editorial boards of the Biochemical Journal and Oral Oncology, as well as on NIH study sections. They routinely participate in peer review for a wide range of learned publications and hold memberships in professional societies including the American Society for Microbiology, the International Academy of Oral Oncology, the International Association for Dental Research and the American Association for Cancer Research.

Facilities and Equipment

Philips Institute faculty occupy approximately 3500 sq ft of wet laboratory space in the top floor of the Wood Building, VCU School of Dentistry, with faculty offices situated in close proximity to the laboratory space. The institute is equipped with standard laboratory equipment such as chemical hoods and laminar flow hoods, incubators, centrifuges and freezers. In addition, there is a darkroom, two constant temperature rooms, a store room, a glasswash and autoclave room, and an office suite with conference room and projection facilities. Shared resources within the institute include real-time PCR, fluorescence microscopy with apotome and image capture, laser capture microdissection, flow cytometry, liquid scintillation, 2-D electrophoresis, chemiluminescent image analysis, and a film processor. The Philips Institute space is contiguous with the fourth floor of the newly constructed Perkinson Building, providing an additional 6000 sq ft of wet laboratory space, equipment rooms and faculty offices.

Collaborative Projects

Collaborative interactions exist with faculty in multiple departments in the Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy, as well as with the Massey Cancer Center, the Center for the Study of Biological Complexity (VCU Life Sciences), Biomedical Engineering (School of Engineering) and Adult Health and Nursing Systems (School of Nursing). External collaborations are ongoing with investigators in several institutes, including the National Institutes of Health and the University of London.