Professor and Head, Department of Oral Biology,
Allan G. Brodie Endowed Chair for Orthodontic Research
Director, Brodie Laboratory for Craniofacial Genetics
Professor of Anatomy, Cell Biology, Bioengineering, and Periodontics,
Member, Center for Molecular Biology of Oral Diseases, Member of the Graduate Faculty, University of Illinois at Chicago

Academic credentials and career. After attending the Gymnasium in Brackwede-Bielefeld, Tom Diekwisch immatriculated at the Philipps-University of Marburg in Hesse, where he graduated with a doctorate in dental medicine (1986, D.M.D.), a Ph.D. in Anatomy (1988, "summa cum laude"), and a Ph.D. in philosophy (2005, “magna cum laude”). From 1986-1990, Dr. Diekwisch worked as a lecturer, clinical instructor, and research associate in the Departments of Anatomy and Periodontics at the Philipps-University. In 1990, he became a postdoctoral fellow in craniofacial biology at the University of Southern California. In 1994, he joined the faculty of Baylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, TX, where he created an award-winning community science education outreach program entitled “Habitat for Science”.

Current position and interests. Current position and research interests. In 2001, Dr. Diekwisch was recruited to the University of Illinois at Chicago to become the first Director of the Brodie Laboratory for Craniofacial Genetics and the Allan G. Brodie Endowed Chair. Two years later, he was appointed Professor and Head of the Department of Oral Biology at UIC. Besides Oral Biology, Dr. Diekwisch holds appointments in Anatomy and Cell Biology, Bioengineering, Orthodontics and Periodontics. Research interests include evolution and development of tooth enamel and periodontium, periodontal stem cells and tissue engineering, function of the CP27 gene, and tooth movement. Dr. Diekwisch’s research program is funded by the National Institutes of Health and by the National Science Foundation. Brodie Lab research findings have been published in prestigious journals such as Bioessays, BONE, Development, PLoS Biology, Stem Cells and Development, and Tissue Engineering. Individual research accomplishments are listed below.

Evolution and Development of Tooth Enamel

  • Discovery of the functional significance of the supramolecular organization of the enamel matrix (Diekwisch et al. 1993)

  • Definitive study demonstrating the independence of enamel deposits from adjacent dentin (Diekwisch et al. 1995)

  • Discovery and functional characterization of several novel amelogenin genes in reptiles and amphibians (Wang et al. 2005, Diekwisch et al. 2006, Wang et al. 2006, Diekwisch et al. 2009)

  • Polyproline repeat elongation as a mechanism for amelogenin aggregate compaction and enamel crystal elongation (Jin et al. 2009)

 

Evolution and Development of the Periodontium

  • The dental follicle and not Hertwig’s Root Sheath gives rise to tooth root cementum (Diekwisch 2001, 2002, Luan et al. 2006)

  • Extensive apically-directed dental follicle migration during formation of alveolar bone, periodontal ligament, and root cementum (Diekwisch 2002)

  • Crocodylians and Mosasaurs are link species in the evolution of the non-mineralized periodontal ligament (McIntosh et al. 2002, Luan et al. 2009)

 

Periodontal Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering

  • Heterogeneity of dental follicle progenitors (Luan et al. 2006)

  • Effect of matrix components on periodontal progenitor differentiation (Dangaria et al. 2009)

  • Cellular, epigenetic, and systems biological characterization of signature changes during periodontal lineage differentiation (Luan et al. 2009, Dangaria et al. 2010)

  • Complete periodontal ligament regeneration using periodontal progenitors (Dangaria et al. 2010)

 

Orthodontic Research and Tooth Movement

  • Revival of the un-opposed molar model as a tool to study the continuous remodeling of the periodontal attachment apparatus (Holliday et al. 2005, Luan et al. 2007, Luan and Diekwisch 2007, Walker et al. 2008, Walker et al. 2010)

  • Osteopontin is required for tooth drift but not for super-eruption (Walker et al. 2010)

 

CP27 Function and Gene Regulation

  • Discovery and functional characterization of the cp27 gene, a key gene in the maintenance of pluripotency in odontogenic stem cells (Diekwisch et al. 1999, Luan and Diekwisch 2002, Diekwisch and Luan 2002)

  • CP27 gene regulation by the transcription factor NF-Y (Luan et al. 2010)

 

Birth and genealogy. Tom Diekwisch was born Thomas Gustav Heinrich Diekwisch on February 27, 1961, in Bielefeld, West Germany. The two middle names correspond to his two grandfathers’ first names. Diekwisch is a common name in Northern Germany and translates into “meadow by the lake”. Diekwisch is also the name of a street in Hamburg. In the 1840ies and again in the 1920ies, members of the Diekwisch family moved from Germany to the U.S., mostly to Illinois. Thomas Diekwisch’s parents are Annelore Spruch and Gerd Diekwisch, also from Bielefeld and born in 1930 (father) and 1933 (mother). His mother’s parents were Heinrich and Else Spruch from Bielefeld-Quelle, and his father’s parents were Gustav and Frieda Diekwisch from Bielefeld-Kammeratsheide/Heepen.

Family background. The Spruch and Diekwisch families in Bielefeld belonged to a staunchly social democratic community in Westphalia and risked their lives by retaining SPD party membership, opposing the Nazis, and supporting the allies during WWII. Other members of the Spruch family emigrated to Israel after 1933. Thomas (Tom) Diekwisch grew up in Quelle, a suburb of Bielefeld, together with his parents and the Spruch family. Grandfather Heinrich Spruch owned a small factory and instilled in Thomas the love for biology and science in general. All three generations did not serve in the military: Heinrich Spruch was exempted from military service during the war; Gerd Diekwisch belonged to the white generation being 15 years old when the war ended, and Thomas Diekwisch was exempted from military service in the Federal Republic of West Germany (BRD). Only grandfather Gustav was drafted, immediately transported to the Russian front, captured upon arrival, and detained in Siberia for the remainder of the war.