Validation Services
In Vitro & In Vivo Validation Services provide specialized techniques, state-of-the-art equipment, and expert guidance to rigorously evaluate regenerative technologies for dental, oral, and craniofacial applications. These services support imaging, tissue analysis, mechanical testing, materials characterization, and preclinical studies, helping move innovations from the laboratory toward clinical translation.
Contact translationalrc@umich.edu for more information.
Imaging
Molecular Imaging
State-of-the-art shared facility offering advanced imaging instruments for research, including IVIS Spectrum, Bruker 7T MRI, 4DMedical Permetium lung CT, and Bruker SkyScan CT.
Optical Imaging and Analysis
Offers advanced imaging capabilities for live cell analysis, super-resolution microscopy, confocal imaging, and quantitative pathology, supporting a wide range of biological and biomedical research.
microCT
Offers high-resolution scans of radio-opaque specimens with the Scanco μCT 100, plus specialized imaging for tissues and implants using the VivaCT 40 for intermediate-resolution in vivo scans and the μCT50 for high-resolution ex vivo analysis.
Mechanical & Functional Analysis
Biomechanics
Offers advanced specimen preparation and mechanical testing capabilities—including compression, tension, bending, and puncture—using state-of-the-art equipment to analyze hard and soft tissues, bone, and novel materials.
Functional Assessment
Offers comprehensive testing and analysis of bone composition, mechanics, and functional properties using specialized equipment including stereotaxic stations, automated analysis systems, metabolic chambers, and telemetry devices.
Mechanical & Functional Assessment
Characterization of biomaterials and tissue processing, composition, structure, and properties using equipment like the Instron 8521, Admet electromechanical tester, and a custom micromechanical system for various tissue and scaffold types.
Histology & Histomorphometry
Histology (Univ of Michigan)
Offers histological services using standard techniques, specializing in sectioning hard (demineralized) tissues and analyzing tissue and biomaterial interfaces with advanced equipment for histomorphometry, immunohistochemistry, and in situ hybridization.
Materials Fabrication & Characterization
Biointerfaces Institute
Offers advanced materials characterization and fabrication, using equipment for particle analysis (dynamic light scattering, zeta potential), microscopy, spectroscopy, mechanical testing, molecular imaging, and micro/nanofabrication for detailed evaluation and development of biomaterials and bioengineered systems.
Lurie Nanofabrication Facility
Provides cutting-edge capabilities for materials research and nanofabrication, offering a wide array of equipment and processes—including thin film deposition, lithography, etching, and characterization—to enable the precise design, fabrication, and analysis of advanced materials and devices.
Michigan Center for Materials Characterization
Offers unique capabilities for advanced materials analysis, featuring state-of-the-art electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and spectroscopy facilities that enable high-resolution imaging, elemental analysis, and 3D characterization of both synthetic and biological specimens, supported by expert staff for consultation and training.
Pre-Clinical Animal Models & Testing
Center for Preclinical Studies
Offers specialized resources for preclinical biomaterials and regenerative therapy evaluation, with advanced equipment for surgery, imaging, mechanical testing, and histology, plus expertise in animal models to support biocompatibility, safety, and functional assessment.
