About

David Dean is a professor at the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, with a focus on Osteo Engineering. His research involves providing tools for the surgical reconstruction or regeneration of skeletal structures, utilizing Computer Aided Design (CAD) software to prepare patient-specific implants, implant components, and surgical devices that are rendered via additive manufacturing (3D printing). His work includes the preparation of restorative cranial implants and the 3D printing of tissue-engineered (resorbable) bone scaffolds and metallic skeletal fixation devices. His research encompasses seeding cells such as Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) and vascular progenitor cells onto solid, 3D printed polymer scaffolds or within hydrogels, with the aim of creating tissue-engineered bone grafts. He also investigates 3D metal printing with alloys like NiTi (nitinol) and magnesium, focusing on stiffness-matched NiTi skeletal fixation devices and resorbing magnesium alloy fixation devices. Dean's work integrates regenerative medicine, skeletal reconstruction, device virtual surgical planning, and novel biomaterials, contributing to advancements in personalized surgical solutions and biomaterials for skeletal repair.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Neuroscience
• Psychology
• Radiology
• Internal medicine
• Pediatrics
• Biology
• Audiology
• Developmental psychology
• Pathology

Selected publications

• A 16-year study of longitudinal volumetric brain development in males with autism

  NeuroImage · 2021 · 59 citations

  • Psychology
  • Audiology
  • Medicine

  Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with unknown brain etiology. Our knowledge to date about structural brain development across the lifespan in ASD comes mainly from cross-sectional studies, thereby limiting our understanding of true age effects within individuals with the disorder that can only be gained through longitudinal research. The present study describes FreeSurfer-derived volumetric findings from a longitudinal dataset consisting of 607 T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans collected from 105 male individuals with ASD (349 MRIs) and 125 typically developing male controls (258 MRIs). Participants were six to forty-five years of age at their first scan, and were scanned up to 5 times over a period of 16 years (average inter-scan interval of 3.7 years). Atypical age-related volumetric trajectories in ASD included enlarged gray matter volume in early childhood that approached levels of the control group by late childhood, an age-related increase in ventricle volume resulting in enlarged ventricles by early adulthood and reduced corpus callosum age-related volumetric increase resulting in smaller corpus callosum volume in adulthood. Larger corpus callosum volume was related to a lower (better) ADOS score at the most recent study visit for the participants with ASD. These longitudinal findings expand our knowledge of volumetric brain-based abnormalities in males with ASD, and highlight the need to continue to examine brain structure across the lifespan and well into adulthood.

  DOI

• Neuroimaging and biomarker evidence of neurodegeneration in asthma

  Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology · 2021 · 49 citations

  • Medicine
  • Neuroscience
  • Psychology
  DOI

• The Effects of Delayed Cord Clamping on 12-Month Brain Myelin Content and Neurodevelopment: A Randomized Controlled Trial

  American Journal of Perinatology · 2020 · 42 citations

  • Medicine
  • Pediatrics
  • Internal medicine

  OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine if delayed cord clamping (DCC) affected brain myelin water volume fraction (VFm) and neurodevelopment in term infants. STUDY DESIGN: This was a single-blinded randomized controlled trial of healthy pregnant women with term singleton fetuses randomized at birth to either immediate cord clamping (ICC) (≤ 20 seconds) or DCC (≥ 5 minutes). Follow-up at 12 months of age consisted of blood work for serum iron indices and lead levels, a nonsedated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), followed within the week by neurodevelopmental testing. RESULTS: At birth, 73 women were randomized into one of two groups: ICC (the usual practice) or DCC (the intervention). At 12 months, among 58 active participants, 41 (80%) had usable MRIs. There were no differences between the two groups on maternal or infant demographic variables. At 12 months, infants who had DCC had increased white matter brain growth in regions localized within the right and left internal capsules, the right parietal, occipital, and prefrontal cortex. Gender exerted no difference on any variables. Developmental testing (Mullen Scales of Early Learning, nonverbal, and verbal composite scores) was not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: At 12 months of age, infants who received DCC had greater myelin content in important brain regions involved in motor function, visual/spatial, and sensory processing. A placental transfusion at birth appeared to increase myelin content in the early developing brain. KEY POINTS: · DCC resulted in higher hematocrits in newborn period.. · DCC appears to increase myelin at 12 months.. · Gender did not influence study outcomes..

  DOI

Frequent coauthors

• Sean Deoni

  Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

  118 shared

• Jonathan O’Muircheartaigh

  74 shared

• Sterling C. Johnson

  Temple University

  73 shared

• Andrew L. Alexander

  73 shared

• Sanjay Asthana

  Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center

  56 shared

• Holly Dirks

  Providence College

  53 shared

• Barbara B. Bendlin

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  52 shared

• Cynthia M. Carlsson

  University of Wisconsin–Madison

  34 shared

Labs

• The Osteo Engineering LabPI

Education

• Postdoctoral Researcher, Plastic Surgery

  New York University

  1994

• Ph.D., Anthropology

  City University of New York

  1993

• M.A., Anthropology

  Temple University

  1986

• B.A. (2), Biology/Anthropology

  Case Western Reserve University

  1981

Awards & honors

• 2024 CIRP BioM, Best Paper Award

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