On Demand Removal of Oral Biofilms via Photresponsive Coatings

候选人：Devatha P. Nair博士，是学院的助理教授和材料科学研究员 科罗拉多大学安舒茨医学院牙科医学系。Nair博士的K25申请建议 设计一种光响应涂层，可以使“按需”口腔生物膜从表面去除， 复合修复材料，同时保持底层材料的美学和功能方面。 她的近期目标是获得必要的研究培训和专业技能，以过渡到一个 独立调查员她的长期目标是发展一项独立的、由校外资助的研究， 通过成为一个成功的，有效的终身教职员工谁可以充分参与牙科学生和 通过牙科生物材料领域的教学和研究活动，为住院医师提供培训。 职业发展培训：Nair博士的职业发展培训包括：1）获得新的 实验技能和方法，以加强她的研究计划。2)在培养、分析 以及在各种静态和流通反应器中对口腔生物膜进行成像。3)专业技能的提炼 发展，包括正式课程的工作，出席和在每周杂志俱乐部，大学演讲 研讨会，国家科学会议，以及与牙科生物材料杂志俱乐部的定期会议 （每周）;免疫学和微生物学研讨会系列（星期五研讨会系列-每周）;以及4）通过 与她的指导团队进行定期互动。 环境：奈尔博士的培训计划的环境将是杰出的。主要的导师，博士。 Jeffrey Stansbury是国际公认的NIH资助的科学家。沿着的还有共同导师舒尔博士， 二级导师，博士Pfeifer和Zajdowicz和咨询导师博士杰克Ferracane，一个强大的，间- 已组建了生物医学研究学科指导小组。此外，专家的定期投入 例如Michael富兰克林博士（生物膜工程中心-蒙大拿州立大学）和诺埃尔克拉克博士 （加州大学博尔德分校软物质材料研究中心主任）将确保Nair博士能够获得 在她的研究项目和整体培训计划的关键领域的具体专业知识。 研究：越来越需要制定战略来理解和破坏增长， 牙齿生物膜的保留，可导致继发性龋齿和许多系统性疾病，如误吸 肺炎、心血管疾病和妊娠期并发症。该提案旨在发展 对抗生物膜生长和预防龋齿进展的策略。前提是 去除口腔生物膜的长期和有效的解决方案依赖于动态的光响应的 涂层，可以重复和有效地破坏口腔生物膜附着，该提案旨在开发照片， 反应涂层的表面上的替代品，可以重复和可靠地呼吁物理 破坏和去除生物膜。

CANDIDATE: Devatha P. Nair, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor and a materials science researcher in the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus. Dr. Nair’s K25 application proposes to engineer a photo-responsive coating that can enable ‘on-demand’ oral biofilm removal from the surface of a composite restorative material while maintaining the aesthetic and functional aspects of the underlying material. Her immediate goal is to acquire the research training and professional skills necessary to transition to an independent investigator. Her long-term goal is to develop an independent, extramurally funded research program by becoming a successful, effective tenure-track faculty who can fully engage with dental students and residents through teaching and research activities in the field of dental biomaterials. CAREER DEVELOPMENT PLAN: Dr. Nair’s career development training consists of: 1) acquiring new experimental skills and approaches to strengthen her research plan. 2) further training in culturing, analyzing and imaging oral biofilms in a variety of static and flow-through reactors. 3) refinement of professional skills development including formal course work, attendance and presentations at weekly journal clubs, university seminars, national scientific meetings, as well as regular meetings with Dental Biomaterials Journal club (weekly); Dept. of Immunology and Microbiology seminar series (Friday Seminar Series-weekly);and 4) through regular interactions with her mentoring team. ENVIRONMENT: The environment for Dr. Nair’s training plan will be outstanding. The principal mentor, Dr. Jeffrey Stansbury is an internationally recognized NIH-funded scientist. Along with co-mentor Dr. Schurr and secondary mentors, Drs. Pfeifer and Zajdowicz and consulting mentor Dr. Jack Ferracane, a strong, inter- disciplinary mentoring team in biomedical research has been assembled. Additionally, regular input from experts such as Dr. Michael Franklin (Center for Biofilm Engineering -Montana State University) and Dr. Noel Clark (Director, Soft Matter Materials Research Center at UC-Boulder) will ensure that Dr. Nair will have access to specific expertise in key areas of her research project and overall training plan. RESEARCH: There is a growing need to develop strategies to both understand and disrupt the growth and retention of dental biofilms that can cause secondary caries and a host of systemic diseases such as aspiration pneumonia, cardiovascular disease and complications during pregnancy. This proposal aims to develop strategies to combat biofilm growth and to prevent the progression of dental caries. Working on the premise that a long-term and effective solution towards the removal of oral biofilms relies on a dynamic, photo-responsive coating that can repeatedly and efficiently disrupt oral biofilm attachment, the proposal aims to develop photo- responsive coatings on the surface of restoratives that can repeatedly and reliably be called upon to physically disrupt and dislodge biofilms.