Sunita Ho, MS, PhD
Professor
Preventive & Restor Dent Sci
School of Dentistry

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.

• A Force on the Crown and Tug of War in the Periodontal Complex
  Journal of Dental Research (Invited Submission, under review) 2017 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) 2017 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) 2017 Jeremy D. Lin, Andrew T. Jang, Michael P. Kurylo, Jonathan Hurng, Feifei Yang, Lynn Yang, Arvin Pal, Ling Chen, Sunita P. Ho
• The origins of urinary stone disease: upstream mineral formations initiate downstream Randall's plaque.
  BJU international 2016 Hsi RS, Ramaswamy K, Ho SP, Stoller ML
• A Critical Role of TRPM7 As an Ion Channel Protein in Mediating the Mineralization of the Craniofacial Hard Tissues.
  Frontiers in physiology 2016 Nakano Y, Le MH, Abduweli D, Ho SP, Ryazanova LV, Hu Z, Ryazanov AG, Den Besten PK, Zhang Y
• Multiscale biomechanical responses of adapted bone-periodontal ligament-tooth fibrous joints.
  Bone 2015 Jang AT, Merkle AP, Fahey KP, Gansky SA, Ho SP
• Biomechanics and strain mapping in bone as related to immediately-loaded dental implants.
  Journal of biomechanics 2015 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 2015 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 2015 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 2015 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 2015 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 2015 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 Gαq activity.
  PloS one 2014 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 2014 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 2014 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 2014 Jang AT, Lin JD, Seo Y, Etchin S, Merkle A, Fahey K, Ho SP
• Biomechanical adaptation of the bone-periodontal ligament (PDL)-tooth fibrous joint as a consequence of disease.
  Journal of biomechanics 2013 Lin JD, Lee J, Ozcoban H, Schneider GA, 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) 2013 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 adaptive nature of the bone-periodontal ligament-cementum complex in a ligature-induced periodontitis rat model.
  BioMed research international 2013 Lee JH, Lin JD, Fong JI, Ryder MI, Ho SP
• BMI1 represses Ink4a/Arf and Hox genes to regulate stem cells in the rodent incisor.
  Nature cell biology 2013 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 2013 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 2013 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 2012 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 2012 Tang SY, Herber RP, Ho SP, Alliston T
• Functional remineralization of dentin lesions using polymer-induced liquid-precursor process.
  PloS one 2012 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 2012 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 2012 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 2012 Herber, R, Fong, J, Lucas, S & Ho, S
• PLoS One
  Age-related adaptation of bone-PDL-tooth complex: Rattus-Norvegicus as a model system 2012 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 2011 Niver EL, Leong N, Greene J, Curtis D, Ryder MI, Ho SP
• Multiple effects of the cellular prion protein on tooth development.
  The International journal of developmental biology 2011 Zhang Y, Kim SO, Opsahl-Vital S, Ho SP, Souron JB, Kim C, Giles K, Den Besten PK
• In vitro study of the soft tissue effects of microsecond-pulsed CO(2) laser parameters during soft tissue incision and sulcular debridement.
  Lasers in surgery and medicine 2010 Vaderhobli RM, White JM, Le C, Ho S, Jordan R
• Structure, chemical composition and mechanical properties of coronal cementum in human deciduous molars.
  Dental materials : official publication of the Academy of Dental Materials 2009 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 2009 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.
• Structure, chemical composition and mechanical properties of human and rat cementum and its interface with root dentin.
  Acta biomaterialia 2008 Ho SP, Yu B, Yun W, Marshall GW, Ryder MI, Marshall SJ
• The tooth attachment mechanism defined by structure, chemical composition and mechanical properties of collagen fibers in the periodontium.
  Biomaterials 2007 Ho SP, Marshall SJ, Ryder MI, Marshall GW
• Advances in Polymeric Biomaterials
  Surface Modification of Articulating Surfaces and Tribological Evaluation 2006 Caldwell Rebecca, LaBerge Martine, and Ho Sunita
• Tribology International
  Conductive Composite of UHMWPE and CB as a Dynamic Contact Analysis Sensor 2006 A.C. Clark, S. P. Ho, M. LaBerge
• The cementum-dentin junction also contains glycosaminoglycans and collagen fibrils.
  Journal of structural biology 2005 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 2004 Ho SP, Balooch M, Marshall SJ, Marshall GW
• The effect of sample preparation technique on determination of structure and nanomechanical properties of human cementum hard tissue.
  Biomaterials 2004 Ho SP, Goodis H, Balooch M, Nonomura G, Marshall SJ, Marshall G
• Experimental and numerical modeling of variable friction between nanoregions in coventional and crosslinked UHMWPE.
  Journal of biomechanical engineering 2004 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 2004 Ho SP, Balooch M, Goodis HE, Marshall GW, Marshall SJ
• Frictional properties of poly(MPC-co-BMA) phospholipid polymer for catheter applications.
  Biomaterials 2003 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 2003 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 2002 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 2002 Ho SP, Riester L, Drews M, Boland T, LaBerge M
• Wear
  Nanotribology of CoCr-UHMWPE TJR Prosthesis Using Atomic Force Microscopy 2002 S. P. Ho, R. W. Carpick, T. Boland, M. LaBerge
• Critical Reviews in Biomedical Engineering
  Failure analysis of anatomic porous hip replacement (APR IIS) 1998 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 1996 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 1991 Sarma P. K., Sunita P. V.