Anne E. Meyer, Ph.D.

A dental products manufacturer headquartered in Germany had a problem. Company representatives suspected that someone was selling counterfeits of a brand-name composite resin in foreign markets. The questionable goods had been packaged professionally, matching authentic products in outward appearance. Without specialized help, it wasn’t possible to tell whether materials were real or imitation.

The manufacturer called on School of Dental Medicine scientists for help…

…For an institution looking to expand collaborations with private industry, the scenario was pure win-win.

In fact, the School of Dental Medicine is making relationships with the private sector a high priority these days. Privately funded projects enable faculty and students to conduct cutting-edge research, improve oral health care and benefit consumers by bringing better products to the market. School-industry connections also enrich the educational experience for students who will be working with the dental industry in their practices.

School-industry partnerships also generate revenue for the school. In the first 10 months of fiscal year 2009, faculty conducted more than $986,000 worth of research funded by industry, according to Anne Meyer, the school’s associate dean for research.

As the biomedical industry develops, workers need knowledge of the regulatory environment in which life sciences products, medical devices and implants are developed, manufactured and sold. Strengthening this knowledge base among life science industry workers is the basis for a new certificate program, “Regulatory Environment of Medical Devices and Implants” (REMeDI) offered by the Division of Continuing and Professional Studies at the University at Buffalo…

…The academic director of the program is Anne E. Meyer, Ph.D., research associate professor in the Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, School of Dental Medicine, and director of the UB site of the National Science Foundation-designated Industry/University Center for Biosurfaces.