New Grants Awarded (2008-2009)

William H. Bowen, B.D.S., Ph.D.
Welcher Professor Emeritus of Microbiology & Immunology in the Center for Oral Biology; Professor Emeritus of Environmental Medicine
Use of GtfB as a Diagnostic for Caries Research
American Dental Association Foundation
8/04/08-8/3/10
The objective of this proposal is the assessment of the clinical utility of using S. mutans GtfB as a predictor of incipient early childhood caries activity for identification of those children most needing early intervention.

Catherine Ovitt, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Genetics
in the Center for Oral Biology
Radioprotection by targeted siRNA delivery to salivary gland (Steve Dewhurst, Co- PI)
NIH R21 DE019302
8/1/08-7/31/10
Studies focus on: 1) To develop efficient, nanoparticle-based methods to deliver siRNA to SG cells. 2) To determine whether siRNA-mediated gene knockdown can protect against irradiation-induced SG damage.

Catherine Ovitt, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biomedical Genetics
in the Center for Oral Biology
Salivary gland precursor cells
NIH R01DE018896
4/1/09-3/31/14
The long range goal of this project is to identify and characterize the source of salivary gland progenitor cells, and to use those cells for the repopulation of damaged glands.

James M. Rogér, DDS
Instructor of Dentistry in the Center for Oral Biology
Characterization of human cytokine-producing B cells in Sjogren's Syndrome
K08DE019502-01
9/30/08-8/31/13
This Mentored Clinical Scientist Development Award will provide Dr. James M. Roger the support necessary for him to continue his training from that of a recent dental school graduate (DOS, 2008) towards a PhD in Immunology with the long term goal of pursuing an academic career. Dr. Roger's training will be under the guidance of co-mentors, Dr. Ignacio Sanz and Dr. James E. Melvin.

Collaborative Awards with COB Faculty

Thomas Pearson, M.D., Ph.D., MPH
(PI of Clinical Translational Science Award - NIH)
Senior Associate Dean, Clinical Research - Department of Dean's Office, SMD; Albert David Kaiser Chair of Public Health and Preventive Medicine - Department of Community and Preventive Medicine; Professor - Department of Community and Preventive Medicine
Identification of salivary and salivary gland-cell-surface biomarkers in patients with early-stage primary Sjogren's Syndrome (Mireya Gonzalez- PI of KL2 Award funded by CTSA)
7/1/09-6/30/10
The specific aims of this project are to: Identify and recruit patients with primary Sjogren's Syndrome (pss) and control subjects; retrieve stored samples; test samples for biomarkers-proteomic analysis; perform statistical analysis of proteomic data.

Thomas Pearson, M.D., Ph.D., MPH
(PI of Clinical Translational Science Award - NIH)
Senior Associate Dean, Clinical Research - Department of Dean's Office, SMD; Albert David Kaiser Chair of Public Health and Preventive Medicine - Department of Community and Preventive Medicine; Professor - Department of Community and Preventive Medicine
CTSI Development of Novel Clinical and Translational Methodologies Award (Mark Sullivan and Ignacio Sanz - Co-Investigators- award funded by CTSA)
7/1/09-6/30/10
The goal is to develop a novel method of detection of disease-specific biomarkers for autoimmunity using phage display of mimotopes based on a fibronectin scaffold.

Ignacio Sanz, M.D.
Chief - Department of Medicine; Professor - Department of Medicine; Professor - Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Rochester Center for the Biodefense of Immunocompromised Populations (Mark Sullivan- Collaborator)
06/01/09-9/29/10
In the event of a bioterrorist attack, immuno-compromised patients which prominently include autoimmune patients subject to therapeutic immunosuppression will be at very high risk. Therefore there is a clear need to identify the specific immune defects that make these populatios especially susceptible and strategies to induce protective vaccine responses.



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