Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University are on a mission to revolutionize oral care. They’re teaming up with Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s and the University of California, San Francisco, to explore how stem cells can improve reconstructive oral surgery. Recently, they secured a five-year, $5.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to fuel their research.
Oral tissue graft surgery helps repair damage from cancer treatments, gum recession, and injuries. Usually, dentists take healthy tissue from the roof of the mouth to cover the damaged areas. While these procedures often work, some grafts can fail due to poor healing or infection. For cancer patients, the options are even more limited and not tailored to each person’s unique tissue needs.
The team aims to change this by using stem cells and bioengineering to grow grafts in the lab. These grafts would be designed to match individual patients perfectly. This personalized approach could lead to better outcomes and reduce the need to harvest healthy tissue from patients.
“This study could significantly enhance healing by creating grafts that are specific to each patient’s needs,” said Dr. Kevin Matthew Byrd, a leading researcher at the VCU School of Dentistry. “It has the potential to transform care for head and mouth injuries.”
Pluripotent stem cells are a game changer. These cells can turn into any type of cell in the body. Scientists have found ways to reprogram adult cells back into this stem-cell state, allowing for more flexible treatments. “It’s like giving a cell a second chance to become something else,” Byrd explained. “We want to create grafts for all types of oral tissues, whether that’s gums, cheeks, or the tongue.”
The initial phase of the research will focus on mapping the complex structure of different oral tissues. This will include identifying the various cell types, their locations, and how they work together. They will collaborate with Dr. Jinze Liu from the School of Public Health, who is developing AI tools to analyze biological data efficiently.
Once they understand the cellular maps, the researchers will use stem cells to build grafts that include blood vessel networks. These networks are vital for keeping the grafts healthy and functional. “We want to develop a process that’s effective, reliable, and scalable, ultimately raising dental care standards for patients,” Byrd added.
This research aligns with recent trends showing advances in personalized medicine, with studies indicating a 40% increase in applications of stem cell therapy in various medical fields in the past five years. As these technologies progress, the future of oral health could dramatically improve, making procedures safer and more effective.
Explore more about the ongoing research and its potential impact on oral health at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s and UCSF.
