Community metaproteomics to establish functional responses within the oral microbiome

A healthy oral microbiome is essential to maintaining oral
and systemic health. Oral diseases cost the NHS £billions while the oral
healthcare market is also worth £billions. However, understanding how oral
products affect the composition and function of the oral microbiota is weak.
Our project will use cutting-edge metaproteomics techniques to establish
functional changes in the microbiome in response to commonly used oral
product additives. This will be in combination with rapid nanopore 16S
microbiome sequencing, and focus initially on Chlorehexidine (CHX) plus a
novel active developed at GSK (placement work).
CHX is a common antimicrobial in daily mouthwashes, with continued usage
altering the microbiome and affecting blood-pressure modifying compounds
2022 entry WR BBSRC DTP CASE Form A-FINAL 2021-07-16 Page 2 of 15
accessible manner to appeal to a wide
range of applicants.
(e.g. nitrite). In addition, CHX use can induce resistance to antibiotics in
some bacteria.
Our team, Stafford + GSK, have developed techniques for growth of
microbial communities in vitro, and oral specific 16S Nanopore microbiome
analyses. We also focussed on virulence determinants (e.g.
protease/glycosidase) in these communities. The data and techniques
developed will allow improvement and design of future actives by
GSK-consumer healthcare