Dr. Liu Hong was trained as a neurosurgeon after his graduation from a medical school in China. His PhD research focus on developing controlled release systems to deliver osteogenic growth factors for bone regeneration. Since assuming his current position at the College of Dentistry Dr. Hong has been continually working on stem cell biology and development for craniofacial tissue regeneration purposes. The research projects include: 1, regulatory effects of steroid hormones on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells; 2, development of a delivery system for intracellular release of steroids or siRNA into bone marrow stem cells; 3, calvarial bone regeneration using plasmid DNA delivered by non-viral delivery systems; 4, microRNA-based approaches to reduce re-synostosis and periodontal bone loss.