Participants:
The University of Melbourne, School of Dental Science
CSL Limited
Monash University (Monash Institute of Medical Research, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)

Objective:
To develop specific diagnostics, novel preventative and therapeutic strategies for the factors, both bacterial and host, that contribute to oral diseases such as periodontitis and other inflammatory oral mucosal diseases.

At any one time 20-30% of the human population will have some degree of the gum disease periodontitis. Severe cases of the disease destroy the tissue and bone that supports teeth which can lead to loss of teeth.

At present, periodontitis can only be detected once damage has occurred, and is costly and time-consuming to contain. There is now growing evidence that links periodontitis with systemic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Researchers at the Cooperative Research Centre for Oral Health Science are working to find ways of predicting and detecting the onset of periodontitis and then treating it.

Research is conducted under three project areas:
1. Vaccine Design and Development
2. Pharmaceutical Development
3. Novel Diagnostics.

Vaccine Design and Development
These projects are aimed at the production of a marketable vaccine technology that can improve the immune response to infection by the bacteria which are associated with oral diseases. The research is currently focussing on the three pathogenic bacteria implicated in chronic periodontitis, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia. Projects are aimed at identifying and extracting the bacterial peptides and proteins that trigger the immune response, and using these as the basis of vaccines.

Pharmaceutical Development
This research is investigating the development of oral diseases particularly in relation to the host immune and inflammatory response, providing new insights into the establishment and progression of oral diseases. Animal models are used to examine the effect of infection on host cells and to aid in the identification of potential targets, both bacterial and host, for novel pharmaceuticals including anti-inflammatory products and enzyme specific inhibitors.

Novel Diagnostics
This research is focused on developing tools for the diagnosis of oral inflammatory diseases, particularly periodontitis. Currently accurate diagnosis can be problematic and it can be difficult to predict progression of the disease. These projects are identifying the main virulence factors of pathogenic bacteria using these targets as the basis of diagnostic tools which can be used chair-side in dental surgeries to help clinicians direct preventive treatment to where it is needed.