Faculty & Staff
A. Ballard, Associate Professor
Assistant Chair and Undergraduate Coordinator
Ph.D., Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake
Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC, 1983
B.A., Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
Dobo Hall 118A | (910) 962-7263 | 601 South College Road, Wilmington, NC 28403-5915
firstname.lastname@example.org | http://people.uncw.edu/ballardt/
I am a traditionally-trained human anatomist with research interests in the differentiation, development, and growth of the vertebrate skeletal system. To this end I maintain an active cell culture laboratory for the study of embryonic chick limb mesenchyme cells under conditions which promote chondrogenesis (cartilage formation) and the formation of the limb skeletal anlage. I am particularly interested in the role of prostaglandins as paracrine factors which modulate the chondrogenic sequence of events and how various growth factors may influence that control. In addition to standard methods, the laboratory utilizes immunohistochemistry, immunoblotting, and various microscopy techniques to measure aspects of the cultures. Other research interests involve cell and tissue cultures with Drs. Dillaman, Roer, and Shafer.
Ballard, T.A. 1992. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs inhibit chondrogenesis in micromass cultures of chick limb mesenchyme. Anatomical Record 232:8A-9A.
Ballard, T.A., R.D. Roer and R.M. Dillaman. 1993. Long-term culture of integumental explants from premolt blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus. Journal of Tissue Culture Methods 15:11-14.