Lari Hakkinen

Lari Hakkinen is a Professor in the Department of Oral Biological & Medical Sciences at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Dentistry. She actively supervises graduate students in Cell and Developmental Biology and Craniofacial Science programs through UBC's Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS) initiative, focusing on translational dental research with clinical applications in periodontal regeneration and wound management.

Her research centers on comparative wound healing mechanisms between oral mucosa and skin, investigating why oral tissues regenerate with minimal scarring. Key interests include fibroblast phenotypic differences, extracellular matrix dynamics, integrin-mediated signaling (particularly αvβ6), and mesenchymal stem cell applications. She pioneers advanced 3D culture systems using macromolecular crowding to model human gingival tissue, revealing critical pathways in connective tissue organization and regeneration. Her work bridges cell biology with clinical dentistry, targeting novel therapies for periodontal disease through peptide-based antimicrobials and controlled drug delivery systems.

Analysis of her 2020-2025 publications shows consistent focus on periodontal inflammation mechanisms, biofilm management, and regenerative strategies. Dominant themes include integrin signaling in bone loss, microvesicle-mediated cell communication, and antimicrobial peptide efficacy against oral pathogens. Her recent work on D-enantiomeric peptides and slow-release gefitinib formulations demonstrates translational innovation for localized periodontal treatment, while decellularization methods advance scaffold development for tissue engineering.

No scientific awards were documented in the provided materials.

Professor Hakkinen mentors graduate students in MSc and PhD programs across Cell and Developmental Biology and Craniofacial Science disciplines. Her supervision emphasizes molecular techniques in wound healing research, with documented collaborations on grant-funded projects investigating integrin functions and biofilm dynamics, though specific grant details weren't provided. She actively recruits students for thesis projects involving 3D cell culture models and animal studies of oral regeneration.

Her laboratory employs sophisticated in vitro models including human gingival fibroblast 3D cultures, decellularized extracellular matrices, and microvesicle isolation techniques. Current work focuses on translating peptide-based antimicrobial strategies to clinical dentistry and elucidating the molecular basis of scarless oral healing through comparative studies of epithelial-stromal interactions. The team maintains strong ties with UBC's Centre for High-Throughput Phenogenomics and AMDB Research Excellence Cluster for advanced molecular analyses.