Praveen Arany, DDS, PhD will receive the 2016 ASLMS Dr. Horace Furumoto Innovations Young Investigator Award during the Plenary Session at ASLMS 2016, the Annual Conference of the American Society for Laser Medicine & Surgery, Inc. (ASLMS).

Dr. Arany is Assistant Professor, Oral Biology, School of Dental Medicine, University at Buffalo. He was previously an assistant clinical investigator at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda.

During the Plenary Session on April 1, Dr. Arany will give his award presentation, “Low Dose Clinical Biophotonics: Molecular Mechanisms Are Driving Precision Medicine Therapies.”   He will explore the popularity in clinical use of biophotonics devices in mainstream medicine from ophthalmology, oncology to various dermatological procedures, with a focus on low dose biophotonics referred to as Photobiomodulation (PBM) Therapy.

Dr. Arany’s research is focused on the molecular mechanisms and clinical applications of light therapy to promote wound healing and tissue regeneration. He has more than 45 publications including 3 book chapters, and is the recipient of numerous awards such as the NCI Director's Young Investigator Award, NIH Merit award, Wound Healing Society's Young Investigator Award and Eugene Seidner scholar.

Dr. Arany is active in a number of societies, including serving as president of North American Association for Light Therapy (NAALT), chair of Lasers in Dentistry, American Dental Education Association (ADEA) and co-chair of the International Society of Optics and Photonics (SPIE) conference on mechanisms of low light therapy.  Dr. Arany has served as chair and director for laser dental sessions and workshops at the ASLMS Annual Conference for several years.

Dr. Arany’s lab aims to identify key biological regulatory components that can be used in clinical studies to control biological outcomes. His lab uses a range of cell and molecular biology tools in tissue culture and scaffold-based model systems. Further, a large emphasis is placed on validation in animal models and moving them to human clinical studies. His other major areas of interest are the molecular dichotomy of wounds and tumors, cell signaling regulatory networks, Transforming Growth Factor-β biology and directing differentiation of stem cells for regenerative applications.

Since 2008, the Dr. Horace Furumoto Innovations Young Investigator Award has recognized and encouraged the development of future technology innovators and leaders. It is given in memory of Dr. Horace Furumoto, a pioneer in medical laser technology innovation.