About the project
The project aims at characterize the influence of epigenetic signals on biomineralisation of teeth and bone. There is an increased incidence of patients suffering from aftereffects from treatment of cancer and osteoporosis and mental diseases. Modern treatment of these diseases, including chemotherapy, anti-bone remodelling and anti-angiogenic agents and psychopharmaca may give extensive co-morbidity, also in the oral- and maxillofacial region. Osteonecrosis of the jaws is a recently described adverse side effect of osteoporosis and chemical cancer treatment therapies. The project team will study the effect of these factors on hard tissue derived cells and in the clinic using molecular biology techniques, proteomics and advanced imaging. The project team hopes to reveal new information related to the prevalence, possible risk factors and mechanisms leading to failure in biomineralisation and turnover of craniofacial hard tissues and possibly provide new basis for treatment and dental management strategies for the involved patients.
Financing
The project was initiated in 2004 and has received funding from UiO, The Norwegian Research council, The Norwegian cancer Society and from the EU framework 5, Quality of Life (QoL) program.
Cooperation
- Prof. Unni Syversen, postdoc Kamilla Stunes, Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
- Dr. Bjørn I. Gustafsson Departments of Gastroenterology and endocrinology; St. Olav`s University Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
- Prof. Malcolm L. Snead, Centre for Craniofacial Molecular Biology, The Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Dr. Steven Brooks, Division of Oral Biology, University of Leeds, LS2 9LU, Leeds, United Kingdom