Heliya Ziaei, DDS

Research Assistant
Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology
Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC

2250 Alcazar St.
CSA 117 – HSC 9062
Los Angeles, CA 90033-9062
Phone: (323)442-3170
Fax: (323) 442-2981
hziaei@usc.edu

Education
Experience
Publications
Awards

Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
D.D.S., 2020

  • 2022 – present – Research Assistant – Center for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA

  • 2020-2022 – Research Assistant – Network Of Immunity in Infection, Malignancy, and Autoimmunity (NIIMA), USERN, Tehran, Iran

  • 2021-2022 – Executive Director and Deputy in Charge of External Affairs – Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran

  • 2019-2022 – Research Assistant – Maxillofacial Surgery and Implantology Research Foundation, Tehran, Iran

  • 2019-2020 – Director, International Students’ Committee – Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Tehran, Iran

  1. Meng L, Feng J, Guo T, Zhang M, Cha S, Chen P, Ziaei H, Harouni A, Ho TV, Chai Y. Piezo2+ mechanosensory neurons orchestrate postnatal development through mechano-chemo-transduction of PDGFA signaling. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Jul 15;122(28):e2504103122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2504103122. Epub 2025 Jul 8. PMID: 40627386.

  2. Feng J, Janečková E, Guo T, Ziaei H, Zhang M, Geng JJ, Cha S, Araujo-Villalba A, Liu M, Ho TV, Chai Y. High-resolution spatial transcriptomics and cell lineage analysis reveal spatiotemporal cell fate determination during craniofacial development. Nat Commun. 2025 May 12;16(1):4396. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-59206-2. PMID: 40355462.

  3. Janečková E, Feng J, Guo T, Han X, Ghobadi A, Araujo-Villalba A, Rahman MS, Ziaei H, Ho TV, Pareek S, Alvarez J, Chai Y. (2023) Canonical Wnt signaling regulates soft palate development by mediating ciliary homeostasis. Development. 2023 Mar 1;150(5):dev201189. doi: 10.1242/dev.201189. Epub 2023 Mar 9. PMID: 36825984; PMCID: PMC10108707.

  4. Ziaei H, Tonkaboni A, Shamshiri A, Rezaei N. (2021) “Oral Manifestations of Patients with Inherited Defect in Phagocyte Number or Function” a systematic review. Clin Immunol. 2021 Aug;229:108796. doi: 10.1016/j.clim.2021.108796. Epub 2021 Jul 14. PMID: 34271191.

  5. Adham G, Keyhan SO, Fallahi HR, Ziaei H, Thomas M. (2021) Nasal sill augmentation: an overlooked concept in rhinoplasty-a technical note and review of the literatures. Maxillofac Plast Reconstr Surg. 2021 May 18;43(1):14. doi: 10.1186/s40902-021-00298-3. PMID: 34003392; PMCID: PMC8131461.

  6. Mohammadi F, Azari A, Nikparto N, Ziaei H. (2021) Reconstruction of the Occipital and Parietal Congenital Defect with 3D Custom-Made Titanium Prosthesis: A Case Report with Four and a Half Years of Follow-Up and a Brief Review of Literature. Case Rep Dent. 2021 Oct 20;2021:7027701. doi: 10.1155/2021/7027701. PMID: 34721909; PMCID: PMC8550828.

  7. Tonkaboni A, Lotfibakhshaiesh N, Danesh P, Tajerian R, Ziaei H. (2020) Evaluation of Inhibitory Effects of Caffeine on Human Carcinoma Cells. Nutr Cancer. 2021;73(10):1998-2002. doi: 10.1080/01635581.2020.1819344. Epub 2020 Sep 30. PMID: 32996789.

  8. Salehi M, Shahporzadeh K, Ehterami A, Yeganehfard H, Ziaei H, Azizi MM, Farzamfar S, Tahersoltani A, Goodarzi A, Ai J, Ahmadi A. (2020) Electrospun Poly(ε-caprolactone)/Gelatin Nanofibrous Mat Containing Selenium as a Potential Wound Dressing Material: In Vitro and In Vivo Study. Fibers Polym 21, 1713–1721 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12221-020-9825-8.

  9. Hanaei S, Sarzaeim M, Yazdanpanah N, Rahimi Pirkoohi Z, Ziaei H, Mohamed K, Samieefar N, Keshavarz-Fathi M, Kolahchi Z, Moradian N, Momtazmanesh S, Seyedpour S, Jaberipour A, Ashkevarian S, Rezaei N. (2020) The Hybrid USERN 2020 Congress: New Standards for Events in Practice. Acta Med Iran. 2021;59(1):1-3.

  • 2025 – Best Oral Student Presentation at the AADOCR Southern California Section Research Symposium

  • 2025 – Best Poster Presentation by a Graduate Student – Ostrow Research Day