Antibody Technique Shows Diagnostic Promise
(April 2008)
In the February 1 issue of the journal Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, a team of NIH researchers report early results with a tremendously sensitive and accurate new diagnostic technique to quantify antibodies in blood and saliva. Known by the acronym LIPS, the technique performed without error in a small validation study involving a well-known antigen that is frequently elevated in people with a rare disorder called Stiff-Person Syndrome. Additional articles will be published in the months ahead for more common autoimmune conditions, ranging from primary Sjögren’s syndrome to type-1 diabetes. The Inside Scoop spoke to two of the authors to learn more about the technique and its potential. They are NIDCR scientists Dr. Peter Burbelo, lead author on the study, and Dr. Michael Iadarola, the paper’s senior author. more.....
Research Experience Propels NIDCR Summer Intern to Intel Finals
(April 2008)
Benjamin Lu, a 2007 NIH summer intern in NIDCR’s Oral and Pharyngeal Cancer Branch, was a finalist in the recent Intel Science Talent Search (STS). The Intel STS is the most prestigious science competition for high school students in the U.S. Mr. Lu, a senior at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville, Md., was one of 40 finalists out of more than 1,600 contestants. He was honored for his research on the Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) genome. His research focused on genes that may be involved in the pathway between the Gq-coupled muscarinic receptor type 1 and the AP-1 transcription factor in the nucleus. Such fundamental research could one day illuminate possible targets for cancer therapies. NIDCR recently spoke with Benjamin Lu about his experience as a summer research intern.
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Localized Aggressive Periodontitis: Pinning Down the Long Suspected Role of Aa
(February 2008)
For dentists who treat an occasional child with localized aggressive periodontitis, or LAP, the research points to the likely culprit as a bacterium with a long name, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa). But the case remains far from air tight. Absent from the scientific literature are clinical studies that track the natural history of the disease in children and whether Aa indeed plays a role in its onset and progression. In the December 2007 issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology, a team of NIDCR supported scientists offer the first results from a natural history study. While a final verdict remains to be rendered, this study and a similar one in Morocco offer stronger evidence that Aa might just be a cause. To learn more about this study, the Inside Scoop spoke with Dr. Daniel Fine, a scientist at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark and the lead author on the JCM paper.
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TP3 and the Prognosis of Head and Neck Cancer
(January 2008)
In the December 20, 2007 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, a team of NIDCR grantees and colleagues evaluated the prognostic value of TP53 mutations in 420 head-and-neck cancer patients treated with surgery only and whose survival was tracked for several years thereafter. Detecting TP53 alterations in the tumors of 53 percent of participants, the scientists found that collectively these mutations were associated with decreased overall survival. This was particularly so for a subset of TP53 mutations that affected the ability of its protein to function as a transcription factor. To hear more about this paper, the Inside Scoop spoke with Dr. Wayne Koch, the senior author on the paper and a scientist and head-and-neck cancer surgeon at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. more...
Scientists Discover Candidate Salivary Markers for Sjogren's Syndrome
(November 2007)
Three years ago, scientists supported by the NIDCR began taking the first full inventory of the proteins that normally are produced in our salivary glands. Now, one of those scientists and his colleagues offer a first glimpse into how this new research tool can be applied to detect subtle changes in the protein content of a person’s saliva that may be linked to an oral or systemic disease. As reported in the November issue of the journal Arthritis and Rheumatism, the scientists detected 42 proteins and 16 peptides in saliva that clinically discriminated between people with the primary form of Sjőgren’s syndrome and healthy volunteers. These data far surpass previous efforts to identify protein biomarkers for primary Sjőgren’s syndrome, a chronic autoimmune condition of the salivary and tear glands that affects about two million Americans, mainly women. more.....
Scientists Elucidate Function of Novel Protein Involved in Head and Neck Cancer
(September 2007)
In the September issue of the journal Cancer Cell, a team of NIDCR-supported scientists and their colleagues report on a novel protein called LZAP. Discovered by the group in 2005, LZAP appears to be a new growth-inhibiting tumor suppressor gene. In the latest paper, the scientists show that LZAP has biological activity that relates to tumor suppression, they define a biological function in the nucleus that correlates with that activity, and they move into clinical tumor samples to show that LZAP is frequently inactivated in squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. more.......
A Closer Look at Developing a Lab on a Chip for Oral Cancer (August 2007)
Dr. John McDevitt, a scientist at the University of Texas at Austin, is one of several NIDCR grantees currently developing a first generation of miniaturized, fully automated saliva-based diagnostic devices. As part of the NIDCR grant, the McDevitt laboratory published in the August issue of the journal Lab on a Chip the results of proof-of-principle experiments for a rapid chip-based diagnostic test for oral cancer. McDevitt spoke to the Inside Scoop about the device, its status, and future prospects. more......
Periodontal Research: Pathways to Progress (July 2007)
In the June issue of the Journal of Proteome Research, a team of NIDCR supported scientists and colleagues take a closer look at how a monocyte senses live bacteria, LPS, or FimA. The Inside Scoop spoke to the paper’s senior author, Dr. Salomon Amar, a scientist in the Department of Periodontology and Oral Biology at the Boston University School of Dental Medicine. As Amar noted, his data mark a starting point in using comprehensive protein-profiling, or proteomic, approaches to map out signaling pathways in the monocyte and, hopefully, to identify new ways to control the destructive inflammation of chronic periodontitis. more.....
Study May Help Head and Neck Cancer Patients Find Relief From Dry Mouth (March 2007)
By the late 1980s, NIDCR scientist Dr. Bruce Baum was frustrated. He had been searching for new drugs and other treatments that might help restore adequate salivary flow in people whose salivary glands had been damaged by radiation treatment for cancer. Yet, despite all of his hard work, Baum said he had not come close to solving the problem. That's when he decided to turn to gene transfer, sometimes called gene therapy. If a fluid-transporting gene could be transferred into the damaged glands, he could potentially restore some degree of salivary flow and secretion into the mouth. more...
A Conversation with NIDCR Director Lawrence Tabak (October 2006)
Since his arrival in September 2000, NIDCR director Dr. Lawrence Tabak has left a considerable imprint on the institute and its research priorities, advocating for greater emphasis on clinical and translational research, while ensuring a high level of support for investigator initiated grants, or RO1s. Recently, Dr. Tabak spoke with the Inside Scoop about the institute, its budgetary prospects, and some of the challenges that lie ahead for the dental and oral health research community. more....
Bioadhesion: An Amino Acid Like No Other (August 2006)
Remarkably, mussels can adhere to surfaces wet and dry, organic and inorganic. This all-purpose adhesiveness first intrigued scientists a few decades ago as one of nature’s best guides to design better dental and medical bioadhesives. However, attempts to mimic mussels have been slowed by an inadequate understanding of the molecular underpinnings of their adhesion. In a groundbreaking study published online this August in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, NIDCR grantees and a colleague defined the adhesive qualities of a single amino acid that is prominent in mussel glue. The Inside Scoop spoke to Dr. Phillip Messersmith, the senior author on the paper and a scientist at Northwestern University in Evanston, IL, to hear his perspective. more....
Building a Better Dental Composite (August 2006)
When placing a white composite filling into a decayed tooth, the devil is always in the polymerization process. The Inside Scoop recently talked to materials scientists and NIDCR grantees, Drs. Christopher Bowman and Jeffrey Stansbury of the University of Colorado about their research and the ongoing quest for a shrink-proof dental composite. Here’s what they had to say. more....
Bringing the Promise of Molecular Medicine to Oral Cancer Screening (March 2006)
In 2005, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS), an estimated 29,370 new cases of oral and pharyngeal cancer were diagnosed, while an estimated 7,320 Americans died from these diseases. Recently, the Inside Scoop spoke with NIDCR grantee Dr. Miriam Rosin, a senior staff scientist at the British Columbia Cancer Agency in Canada. She and her colleagues in British Columbia are now developing a novel, province-wide oral cancer screening program that integrates for the first time telltale molecular features of a developing tumor with more traditional cancer screening tools. This project offers a glimpse of the much-touted promise of molecular medicine and serves as a template for future molecular-based cancer screening programs elsewhere in the world, including the United States. more....
Let's Talk OPPERA: A New Study on TMJ Disorders (January 2006)
The NIDCR announced recently the launch of a seven-year clinical study that could accelerate research on better pain-controlling treatments for a jaw condition called temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJDs). Called Orofacial Pain: Prospective Evaluation and Risk Assessment, or OPPERA, the $19.1 million project marks the first-ever large, prospective clinical study to identify risk factors that contribute to someone developing a TMJ disorder. A prospective study looks forward in time, tracking volunteers over several months or years to monitor the onset and natural course of a disease. The Inside Scoop recently spoke with Dr. William Maixner, the study’s principal investigator and a scientist at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, to hear more about the study, its design, and possible benefits to people with TMJD. more.....
Meet the 2005 Kreshover Lecturer: Dr. Charles Serhan (September 2005)
Dr. Charles N. Serhan, the Simon Gelman Professor at Harvard Medical School and director of the Center for Experimental Therapeutics and Reperfusion Injury at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, will deliver the 2005 NIDCR Seymour J. Kreshover Lecture. Dr. Serhan, an NIDCR grantee, will present a talk titled, "The Role of Novel Anti-Inflammatory and Pro-Resolving Lipid Mediators in Oral Inflammation and Resolution." In advance of the lecture, The Inside Scoop talked to Dr. Serhan about his career in science and ongoing research interests. more.....
Looking at the Periodontal-Systemic Connection (July 2005)
Studies within the past ten years have suggested an association between periodontal disease and the likelihood of delivering preterm, low-birthweight babies, developing cardiovascular disease, and having difficulty controlling blood sugar levels in people with diabetes. Some studies have also linked periodontal disease to respiratory infection in people with pulmonary problems. The Inside Scoop recently spoke with Bruce Pihlstrom, D.D.S., M.S., Acting Director of NIDCR's Division of Clinical Research and Health Promotion, about the Institute's clinical research on periodontal disease and its relationship to systemic disease. more........
Building a Dental Practice-Based Research Network (June 2005)
The NIDCR last Spring awarded three seven-year grants, totaling $75 million, to establish "practice-based" research networks (PBRNs) that investigate with greater scientific rigor "everyday" issues in the delivery of oral healthcare. The impetus behind the networks is the frequent lack of research data to guide treatment decisions in the dentist's office. The Inside Scoop recently spoke with the principal investigators of these three grants to hear their thoughts on PBRNs, their organization, and how they will improve oral health. more....
Dental Enamel: From Matrix to Microribbons (May 2005)
Many dental researchers dream of one day stepping into the laboratory, putting out a detailed set of instructions, and engineering a replacement tooth. This decades-old dream has gained momentum recently as scientists have identified more of the molecules that nature employs to make a tooth. Yet, even as these molecular parts are identified, scientists must begin to solve the larger puzzles of how they self assemble to form the tooth's various specialized tissues, such as enamel and tooth. more...
Looking to the Future: Systems Biology (March 2005) Over the past decade, researchers have reported tremendous progress in studying head and neck cancer, an umbrella term for tumors of the mouth, nose, throat, larynx, and salivary glands. Recently, the Inside Scoop sat down with Silvio J. Gutkind, Ph.D., an NIDCR scientist and prominent figure in head and neck cancer reserach, to discuss systems biology and its likely impact on the field. more....
Chronic Periodontitis: Geographic Differences in the Oral Biofilm (January 2005)
It has long been assumed that all chronic periodontitis is the same no matter where one lives in the world. But some scientists have wondered whether the bacterial composition of the oral biofilm - the sticky, mat-like microbial communities that form on our teeth and cause chronic periodontitis - might vary geographically. In the November issue of the Journal of Clinical Periodontology, NIDCR grantees and their colleagues report for the first time that this is indeed the case. more...
The Impact of the NIH Roadmap in Shaping Dental Research in the 21st Century (February 2004)
In May 2002, new NIH director Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D. launched a series of meetings to chart a “roadmap” for medical research in the 21st century. At these meetings, over 300 leaders from various fields of science helped to identify the major opportunities and existing gaps in biomedical research that no single NIH institute could pursue alone but that the agency as a whole must address to make the biggest impact on the progress of medical research. more...
Pain Research: Past, Present, and Future (October 2003)
Dr. Ronald Dubner has a long and distinguished career in pain research. He is credited with establishing the first interdisciplinary pain research team at the NIDCR during the early 1970s, and his studies have helped to lay the groundwork for defining the anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and genetics of pain. more...
Scientists Report New Leads in the Surprising Evolutionary Biology of a Common Oral Pathogen (June 2003)
Dental researchers often say studies of the mouth may have important implications in other parts of the body. If ever there was a case in point, it’s research on a common oral pathogen with the tongue-twisting name of Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans. more...
Craniofacial Research: Scientists Report New Lead in Craniofacial Development (January 2003)
In the 1830s, when Charles Darwin first visited the remote Galapagos Islands, he noticed something striking. Of the dozen or so species of finch that inhabited the islands each seemed to occupy its own unique ecological niche. Darwin speculated that each finch must have evolved highly specialized beaks that gave them a survival advantage over other species within their habitats. "Darwin's finches" are one of the most cited examples of natural selection, a cornerstone concept in modern biology. more...
Cleft Lip and Palate: Van der Woude Syndrome (October 2002)
After a nearly 20-year search, a team of scientists report in the October 2002 issue of Nature Genetics that it has discovered a gene involved in causing Van der Woude Syndrome, the most common form of syndromic cleft lip and palate. The Inside Scoop recently spoke with two authors on the paper: NIDCR grantees Jeff Murray, M.D., and Brian Schutte, Ph.D., both of whom are scientists in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Iowa. They shared their thoughts on the difficulty in identifying the Van der Woude Syndrome gene, the possible scientific benefits of studying twins, and the implications of this gene discovery on the more common non syndromic cleft lip and palate. more...