Skull and Craniofacial Development and Regeneration

The development of the skull and craniofacial region is a complicated and intricate process that involves not only the interaction of diverse cell populations, but also elaborate morphogenetic movements and several distinct signaling pathways. Disruption of these pathways by genetic and environmental factors can lead to congenital craniofacial disorders such as craniosynostosis and cleft lip and/or cleft palate. Cells and tissues in this region also have the ability to regenerate following defects and injury and this process follows a series of steps: an inflammatory response and subsequent angiogenesis, leading to mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) differentiation. Incomplete regeneration can lead to the formation of scar tissue that compromises tissue function and growth.

This Research Topic welcomes basic, translational, clinical, and applied research that improves our understanding of skull and craniofacial development and regeneration. Potential areas of interest may include, but are not limited to:
- Determinants of initial bone formation in the embryonic skull
- Regulators of osteoprogenitor formation
- Regulation of skull growth by dermis and dura mater
- Establishment of the suture stem cell niche
- Therapeutic potential of suture stem cells
- Molecular mechanisms in craniofacial disorders
- Orofacial soft tissue regeneration

We welcome the submission of different article types to this collection, especially reviews, mini-reviews, and original research papers. For a complete list of article types that can be considered in the Craniofacial Biology and Dental Research section, please follow this link. Even though abstract submission is not mandatory, we encourage all interested researchers to submit an abstract before submitting their manuscript. Abstracts do not have to coincide with the final abstract of the manuscripts.

Topic Editor Greg Holmes receives financial support from QED Therapeutics. The other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject.