How does glycolysis influence the oral environment during caries and periodontitis?

Details

Glycolysis plays a pivotal role during energy metabolism and cellular responses in oral health and pathology. It is a crucial metabolic pathway for energy production, especially in inflammation or infection scenario, that is essential for maintaining tissue integrity and function in the gingiva and dental pulp. The gingiva and the dental pulp are exposed to diverse stressors, necessitating robust cellular metabolic activities for stress adaptation and homeostasis maintenance. Also, the repair and regeneration processes of damaged gingiva and dental pulp are energy-intensive, highlighting glycolysis's importance in providing necessary energy. Inflammation, a hallmark of periodontal diseases and dental pulp damage during caries invasion, alters cellular metabolism impacting immune responses and cytokine production, directly affecting the microenvironment for stem cell maintenance and activation. Analysing glycolytic activity in both healthy and diseased tissues will provide insights into how metabolic shifts correlate with disease progression or repair.

Aim

This project will explore the glycolytic activity changes in the gingiva and dental pulp to offer insights into the pathogenesis of periodontal diseases and dentine repair. Elucidating the role of glycolysis opens potential therapeutic avenues and helps identify biomarkers for early disease detection in periodontal disease, and stem cell activity during repair in the dental pulp.

Entry Requirements:

Candidates must have a first or upper second class honours degree or significant in vivo research experience.

How to apply:

Please complete a University Postgraduate Research Application form available here: www.shef.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/apply

Please clearly state the prospective main supervisor in the respective box and select (School of Clinical Dentistry) as the department.

Enquiries:

Interested candidates should in the first instance contact Dr Vitor Neves.