Malcolm L. Snead


Malcolm L. Snead is an American professor of biomedical sciences and researcher in craniofacial molecular biology and biomineralization. He is a professor at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of the University of Southern California. He is an elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
He has received awards including the NIH MERIT Award and an honorary doctorate from the University of Oslo.
His research focuses on enamel formation, amelogenin proteins, and biomimetic approaches to dental regeneration.

Early life and education

Snead earned a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and chemistry from Saint Mary's College of California in 1973. He received his Doctor of Dental Surgery from Loyola University Chicago in 1977, completed an oral pathology residency at the University of Chicago in 1979, and earned his PhD in pathology from the University of Chicago in 1981. He completed postdoctoral fellowships at USC and Baylor College of Medicine.
His training in developmental biology and pathology has informed his research on disease pathways related to developmental processes in healing and regeneration.

Career

Snead joined the faculty at USC's Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry in 1983 as a research associate professor, becoming a full professor in 1997. He served as associate dean for innovation and discovery from 2001 to 2006 and as chair of the Division of Biomedical Sciences from 2012 to 2022. Since 2023, he has chaired the Faculty Development Committee at the school. He is a founding member of the USC Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology and an affiliate member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine, 2011-present. He holds affiliate faculty positions at the University of Washington, Northwestern University, and the University of Kansas.
He has served as principal investigator on multiple National Institutes of Health grants related to enamel biomineralization, nanotechnology for bone and tooth growth, and supramolecular nanofibers for bone regeneration. Snead has been continuously funded by competitive grant applications from the NIH since 1981.

Research

Snead's research examines biomineralization in dental enamel, biomimetic strategies for tissue regeneration, and protein-protein interactions in enamel matrix assembly. His work includes studies on the role of amelogenin proteins in enamel formation, circadian influences on dental development, peptide-enabled interfaces for restorative dentistry, and supramolecular nanofibers for bone regeneration. According to Google Scholar, his publications have received over 14,000 citations, with an h-index of 68.
A 1997 book chapter by Simmer and Snead discusses the cloning of the amelogenin cDNA as enabling subsequent genetic and biochemical studies. A 2006 review co-authored by Snead discusses protein-protein interactions in the developing enamel matrix, including amelogenin self-assembly. A 2005 review by Paine and Snead summarizes transgenic animal models for studying enamel defects and amelogenin self-assembly domains.
Reviews cite Snead's work on amelogenin self-assembly and transgenic models in the context of enamel development. Snead presented on self-assembly directing enamel formation and regeneration at the 2015 Composites at Lake Louise conference.
His later research applies biomimetic approaches to translational applications. This includes silver diamine fluoride for caries prevention in vulnerable populations. In collaboration with Candan Tamerler, he has developed solid binding peptides for bone regeneration and antimicrobial coatings on implants.

Selected publications

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Awards and honors