Root Canal?

Root Canal?

Next-gen Treatment Could Involve Stem Cells, Not Surgery

Camila Sabatini, D.D.S., Ph.D., associate professor of restorative dentistry in the School of Dental Medicine at the University at Buffalo, has received the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program (AMFDP) award from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to study novel therapies to repair damaged teeth.

The selective four-year $420,000 grant will allow Dr. Sabatini to investigate strategies for the regeneration of tooth defects. She is working in collaboration with Techung Lee, Ph.D., associate professor of biochemistry in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo. Frank Scannapieco, Ph.D., SUNY Distinguished Professor of Oral Biology, serves as advisor in this fellowship.

Dr. Sabatini’s research, investigating novel biologically based avenues for tooth repair, may reduce the need for root canals and could, potentially, have major implications in the way dental care is rendered.

“Root canals happen when an infection has advanced to the nerve of the tooth,” Dr. Sabatini said. “The nerve is removed, and the canals are sealed with a synthetic material. The loss of vitality weakens the tooth, making it prone to fracture.”

In this proposal, Dr. Sabatini explained, the team will investigate ways to use stem cells of dental origin to promote the repair of damaged teeth, potentially avoiding the need for a root canal.

“Over the past two decades, scientists have come to rely on stem cells for tissue regeneration. We haven’t tapped into that nearly enough in dental medicine,” Dr. Sabatini noted. “The standard of care in dentistry today —fillings and implants—is still quite outdated, as it is based on the use of synthetic materials only. We are looking to increase our understanding of the biology of the host, so we can identify potential avenues for tissue repair.”

The four-year grant will allow the team to investigate a drug repurposing approach with an immunostimulant drug used in cancer therapy and a gene therapy strategy.

“The appeal of drug repurposing is the potential for immediate clinical translation since phase I trials can be bypassed, moving directly to phase II trials,” Dr. Sabatini said. “Gene therapy could provide a cost-effective avenue for the healing of tooth defects.”

The therapies will be investigated using dental pulp stem cells obtained from extracted human molars and animal trials in mice where artificially induced tooth defects will receive the various therapies. The animal studies proposed under this award could take the investigators a step closer to the next phase in the process of regulatory approvals of therapies and devices by the Federal Drug Association (FDA).

Dr. Sabatini joined the dental school in 2007 as a clinical assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 2015. She also currently serves as an adjunct professor in oral biology and in chemical and biological engineering.