Salivary Gland Development and Regeneration

Saliva is critical for oral health, and salivary gland dysfunction has multiple and debilitating consequences. Saliva is produced by secretory acinar cells, the primary cell type in the submandibular, sublingual and parotid salivary glands, and is transported through a ductal tree to the oral cavity. Radiation therapy used to treat head and neck cancers leads to permanent loss of salivary gland secretory cells, which results in the chronic condition of dry mouth or xerostomia. The number of cancer survivors with xerostomia is increasing rapidly, due to the increased incidence of head and neck cancers, and improved outcomes for radiation therapy. To date, all treatment options are temporary and palliative.

Our laboratory is focused on two complementary approaches, one curative and one preventive, to address this significant problem:

1. Regenerative strategies to restore salivary gland function in head and neck cancer survivors
2. Improved protection strategies to prevent xerostomia in newly diagnosed patients

Current Research Projects

• Engineered Salivary Gland Tissue Chips
• Homeostasis and Regeneration   
• Radiation Damage and Radioprotective Strategies

• Specialized Cells in the Salivary Gland

Recent Publications

• 1. Mereness JA
  2. Piraino L
  3. Chen CY
  4. Moyston T
  5. Song Y
  6. Shubin A
  7. DeLouise LA
  8. Ovitt CE
  9. Benoit DSW
  Slow hydrogel matrix degradation enhances salivary gland mimetic phenotype.; Acta biomaterialia. 2023 May 05.
• 1. Song Y
  2. Uchida H
  3. Sharipol A
  4. Piraino L
  5. Mereness JA
  6. Ingalls MH
  7. Rebhahn J
  8. Newlands SD
  9. DeLouise LA
  10. Ovitt CE
  11. Benoit DSW
  Author Correction: Development of a functional salivary gland tissue chip with potential for high-content drug screening.; Communications biology; Vol 5(1). 2022 Mar 30.
• 1. Uchida H
  2. Ingalls MH
  3. Maruyama EO
  4. Johnston CJ
  5. Hernady E
  6. Faustoferri RC
  7. Ovitt CE
  Short-term and bystander effects of radiation on murine submandibular glands.; Disease models & mechanisms. 2022 Jan 20.
• 1. Song Y
  2. Sharipol A
  3. Uchida H
  4. Ingalls MH
  5. Piraino L
  6. Mereness JA
  7. Moyston T
  8. DeLouise LA
  9. Ovitt CE
  10. Benoit DSW
  Encapsulation of Primary Salivary Gland Acinar Cell Clusters and Intercalated Ducts (AIDUCs) within Matrix Metalloproteinase (MMP)-Degradable Hydrogels to Maintain Tissue Structure and Function.; Advanced healthcare materials. 2022 Jan 06.
• 1. Uchida H
  2. Ovitt CE
  Novel impacts of saliva with regard to oral health.; The Journal of prosthetic dentistry. 2021 Jun 14.

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