Ian MacKenzie is Professor of Stem Cell Science at the Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry. This talk was given on the 8th of July 2011 as part of a research opportunities day oraganised by Saving Faces. The aim of the day was to make specialist doctors in Oral and Maxillofacial surgery aware of current research underway in their field and highlight ways in which they could become involved.