Division of Oral Medicine, Surgery, Radiology, Pathology and Biology
The ‘5Os’ division is a diverse group spanning the subjects of Oral Surgery, Oral Pathology, Oral Medicine, Oral Biology and Oral Radiology.
As such it has an extensive range of research subjects aimed to diagnose, understand and treat diseases that are common in the oral and the head and neck regions.
The various groups investigate development and biology of oral tissues as well as the causes, diagnostic markers, pathogenesis and potential treatments of a variety of pathological conditions that affect the oral tissues, by means of the state of the art methods, including ‘wet lab’ molecular and microbiological techniques, DNA landscapes, genome wide NGS techniques, 3D tissue cultures, synchrotron beam analysis and intelligent (AI) microscopy techniques. Clinical Epidemiology contributes to identifying determinants of oral diseases and treatment outcomes, which form the basis for designing clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of novel interventions that have the potential to change clinical practice.
g.landini@bham.ac.uk
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My research interests include intelligent microscopy and the development of quantitative markers of biological complexity using mathematical concepts combined with image analysis to understand and characterise morphological changes that take place in pathological cells and tissues. In particular I am interested in imaging-related problems associated with the characterisation of tissue architectural complexity in the diagnosis of oral cancer. For this we use fractal geometry, mathematical morphology and mereotopology to develop spatial reasoning procedures aimed to provide symbolic reasoning about histological scene contents.
We have developed numerous open source plugins plugins for image processing, analysis and quantification (https://blog.bham.ac.uk/intellimic/g-landini-software/). I am also involved in research to elucidate the organisational spatial nanostructure of dental enamel and dentine and the changes occurring in early dental caries and acid erosion with the purpose to development effective tissue remineralisation techniques. My research has been funded by EPSRC, STFC, Diamond Light source, Wellcome Trust, Leverhulme Trust and industry.
a.t.kroeger@bham.ac.uk
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My current research primarily focuses on periodontal and peri-implant diseases, with a particular emphasis on understanding their differences at the molecular level. I investigate microbial compositions and their dynamic changes in relation to disease severity, aiming to uncover key biomarkers and pathways involved in disease progression.
My work extensively utilizes high-throughput sequencing techniques, including multi-omics approaches such as transcriptomics, metagenomics, and proteomics, to gain a comprehensive understanding of these complex conditions. Additionally, I have been fortunate to contribute to several clinical trials, including Clinical Trials of Investigational Medicinal Products (CTIMPs), which has provided me with valuable experience in bridging translational research and clinical applications. Through this combined clinical and molecular approach, I strive to develop a deeper understanding of host-pathogen interactions and their implications for therapeutic strategies.
r.abu-eid@bham.ac.uk
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Oral cancer is a growing global health problem associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The 5-year survival rate has seen little improvement which is mainly attributed to late detection. A group of diseases termed oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) have the potential of developing into oral cancer, however, there is difficulty in predicting their behaviour. There is a need for markers that can predict disease progression and help identify patients at a higher risk of developing cancer to diagnose patients at the early stages of the disease where the potential for cure is more likely.
We are using state of the art technologies to characterise oral tissues across the spectrum of disease progression. Digital Pathology, Raman Spectroscopy, Spatial transcriptomics and proteomics are some of the tools we are employing to study oral tissues at the molecular, cell and tissue levels and to characterise the immune microenvironment. Our aim is to identify markers capable of predicting disease progression and to identify novel targets for immunotherapy and patient stratification for treatment.
m.d.wiench@bham.ac.uk
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Dr Malgorzata Wiench is an Associate Professor in oral biology. Her main focus is on development of 3D in vitro models of oral tissues, understanding molecular mechanisms driving oral cancer (Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma, HNSCC) and aiming for improvement of cancer diagnosis and treatment. This research also extends towards tissue regeneration using dental stem cells.
To further enable this research, Complex 3D in vitro models of oral mucosa are being developed to better mimic physiological conditions and replace animal models: these involve:
• In vitro oral mucosa tissues involving multiple components: stratified squamous epithelium, connective tissue matrix with fibroblasts, immune cells and artificial blood vessels, and bacterial biofilms.;
• In silico models of epithelial barrier function of various oral mucosa in vitro tissues using scRNA-seq.
• Semi-high throughput 3D oral mucosa systems suitable for drug screening.
• Epigenetics and gene regulation in oral cancer, employing genome wide methodologies (ChIP-seq, DNaseI-seq, RNA-seq, ATAC-seq, MeDIP-seq and hMeDIP-seq).
• DNA methylation changes in HNSCC and potential use of DNA methylation inhibitors in HNSCC treatment.
• Epigenetic basis for regeneration potential in dental stem cells.
• The use of micro-sensors for biomarkers detection in HNSCC. The research has been enabled through EU-FP7, NC3Rs/BBSRC, CRUK, FAPESP-UoB and The Royal Society funding.
t.dietrich@bham.ac.uk
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I am a clinical epidemiologist/trialist evaluating the efficacy and effectiveness of interventions and exploring determinants of clinical outcomes in dental medicine. My particular interests are in oral surgery (e.g., determinants and interventions to reduce postoperative morbidity after third molar surgery, minimally invasive tooth extraction), implantology (e.g., epidemiology of early implant failure, split-mouth trials) and periodontology (e.g., oral-systemic disease associations). My work has mainly been funded by NIH, NIHR and industry.
a.s.rahman@bham.ac.uk
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The primary objective of my research is to adopt an interdisciplinary approach to study the mechanisms underlying antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and to develop effective drug delivery strategies targeting biofilms. In my previous work, I focused on enhancing the efficacy of antibiotics and creating novel antimicrobial combinations against biofilms formed by clinically significant pathogens, including Streptococcus mutans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.
My research group has optimized high-throughput assays to enable reproducible quantification of biofilm formation. Following this, we screened and characterized various pharmaceutical excipients to serve as initial treatments aimed at weakening and disrupting biofilms. We further supplemented the mechanistic evaluation of biofilm disruption through efflux assays and transcriptomics as part of a BBSRC case award. Currently, my research focuses on investigating the formation of polymicrobial biofilms in the oral cavity, exploring interspecies interactions and host-pathogen dynamics. This work will lead to the design and development of novel antimicrobial agents to treat and prevent biofilm-related infections.
p.g.ana@bham.ac.uk
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My current research as part of my doctoral studies focuses on Behcet’s disease: I carried out a Delphi International consultation on the characterisations of oral ulceration in this cohort group, with clear guidelines for non-BD experts developed. I also studied the saliva proteome through mass spectrometry with the objective of identifying specific proteins which may work as biomarkers for the disease. Both the saliva proteomic studies as well as the International Delphi study results have had an impact at a national and international level in clinical practice: as we develop clear clinical guidelines for non BD experts, we reduce time to diagnosis, decreasing number of experts involved, reducing costs, as well as increasing patient’s quality of life.
I have also been involved in other research studies:
• SALivary electro-stimulation for the treatment of dry mouth in patients with Sjogren's syndrome: a multicentre randomised sham-controlled double-blind study. (SALRISE) Local PI
• Abnormal genes and proteins in oral inflammatory diseases. Local PI
• The molecular and Cellular Characterisation of Oral Lichen Planus. Local PI
• Inflammation in Ocular Surface Disease Study (IOSD) Local PI
I intend to carry out further collaborative work and develop further grants through supervision of postgraduate students and to continue to collaborate with other medical colleagues to continue with further development of translational research within the group.
