Holding the front line - maintaining barrier integrity in the mouth

Studentship strategic priority area: Basic Bioscience Underpinning Heath
Keywords: Oral, mucosa, immunity, host-microbe

The gums in the mouth (gingivae) are constantly exposed to food, bacteria, and damage from chewing. The immune system must keep the gums healthy - despite the bacteria and damage from chewing. When this protection system fails, the barrier no longer functions, and this causes poor dental and general health. Compared with other barrier sites such as the gut, the mechanisms that keep the gingivae healthy are relatively poorly understood.

Understanding how the immune system maintains healthy gums will provide new understanding of how oral health is maintained, and how effective maintenance of oral health may also prevent other diseases that affect general health.

The team in Glasgow have established system to grow the bacteria that live in the mouth in the laboratory - and these lab-grown bacteria mimic the communities of bacteria found in the mouth. The bacteria can be set up alongside gingival tissue to establish how different bacteria impact the gingivae. This project aims to find out how the immune system works in the gingivae, and how the bacteria work alongside this immune system to keep the mouth healthy.

This work aligns with several key BBSRC priorities. These studies will provide a change in our understanding of the influence of the microbiome on the host immune system. At least 10% of all antibiotic prescriptions provided in healthcare are prescribed for dental problems. Better understanding how to keep the mouth healthy can help prevent dental diseases and therefore in the long term reduce the reliance on antibiotics. Understanding the interactions between bacteria and the immune response may highlight that there are alternatives to antibiotics that can restore health. Thus, this project can help move towards alternatives to antimicrobials for dental health.
The project will develop a model system that provides insights into physiological processes that are key for maintaining health - thereby informing healthy aging across the life course. The work will involve carefully validated in vitro model systems, that will further the absolute reduction of use of animals in research.

The student working on this project will receive extensive training in a range of laboratory methods, in particular working with bacteria and cells of the immune system. The student will be involved in a wide variety of cutting-edge methods of data gathering and data analysis and will be working in a team of enthusiastic and highly motivated PhD students and post-doctoral researchers. In addition to skills specific to the project, there is training in a wide variety of skills that are essential for a scientist including presentations, writing, communication, ethics, regulatory matters, and data management among others. The student will work with our industry partner to gain exceptionally valuable experience in technology transfer, product development and marketing. Previous students from the group have gone on to successful roles in academia, industry, education, and communications.