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For Release Upon Receipt - April 2, 2004
Contact: Christine McDonald, 617-638-4892, cmcdon@bu.edu

BOSTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DENTAL MEDICINE PROFESSOR SALOMON AMAR NAMED TO FEDERAL DRUG ADMINISTRATION DENTAL PRODUCTS PANEL

(Boston,Mass.)- Boston University School of Dental Medicine Professor Salomon Amar, DDS, Ph.D, has been named to the Federal Drug Administration’s Dental Products Panel. Dr. Amar’s appointment is effective immediately.

The FDA’s Dental Products Panel, a subsidiary of the Medical Devices Committee, reviews and evaluates data on the safety and effectiveness of marketed and investigational products and makes recommendations for their regulation.

“I am honored and excited to join such esteemed colleagues on this panel,” said Amar. “The responsibility is awesome, but one I welcome. We are charged with very serious and challenging tasks, and I am grateful for the opportunity to share my expertise and opinions with such highly regarded dental professionals, scientists and researchers,” he said.

The Dental Products Panel also functions at times as a dental drug panel. The functions of the dental drug panel are to evaluate and recommend whether various prescription drug products should be changed to over-the-counter status and to evaluate data and make recommendations concerning the approval of new dental drug products for human use.

“Salomon is an excellent choice for this panel and we are pleased and proud that a member of our community has been selected for such a prestigious and important role with the FDA,” said Spencer N. Frankl, DDS, MSD, professor and dean, Boston University School of Dental Medicine. “Salomon is a world-renowned scientist and clinician who will be an outstanding addition to the panel.”

Amar received his DDS, MSD, and Ph.D from Universite Louis Pasteur (France), and completed his periodontology certification at the Eastman Dental Center in Rochester, New York. He is a prolific author whose research has yielded notable discoveries, including a new gene, TNF-alpha, involved in inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and Crohn’s disease.

At Boston University School of Dental Medicine, Amar and his associates study the molecular processes involved in inflammatory diseases (i.e. rheumatoid arthritis, gum disease or inflammatory bowel disease). Their goal is to identify the molecular factors controlling cytokine gene expression in inflammatory processes, in gingivitis and in periodontitis, with the ultimate aim of reducing deleterious effects such as bone loss and connective tissue destruction associated with the over-expression of these cytokines. In 1997, Amar cloned a novel transcription factor capable of significantly repressing expression of the TNF gene.

Amar also studies wound healing and periodontal regeneration. His efforts focus on the identification and characterization of cells and extra-cellular matrix macromolecules and the identification factors crucial to the regeneration of periodontal structures after periodontal diseases.

FDA Dental Products Panel members engage in a number of activities to fulfill the functions the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDC) envisions for advisory panels. With the exception of the Medical Devices Dispute Resolution Panel, each panel, according to its specialty area, advises the Commissioner of Food and Drugs regarding recommended classification or reclassification of devices into one of three regulatory categories; advises on any possible risks to health associated with the use of devices; advises on formulation of product development protocols; reviews premarket approval applications for medical devices; reviews guidelines and guidance documents; recommends exemption of certain devices from the application of portions of the FFDC Act; advises on the necessity to ban a device; and responds to requests from the agency to review and make recommendations on specific issues or problems concerning the safety and effectiveness of devices.

Each panel, according to its specialty area, may also make appropriate recommendations to the Commissioner of Food and Drugs on issues relating to the design of clinical studies regarding the safety and effectiveness of marketed and investigational devices.

The mission of Boston University School of Dental Medicine is to provide excellent education to dental professionals throughout their careers; to shape the future of dental medicine and dental education through research; to offer excellent health care services to the community; to participate in community activities; and to foster a respectful and supportive environment.

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