2022 New Grant Awards

In 2022, the following new grants of $30,000 and above were awarded to Penn Dental Medicine faculty.

Diabetes-enhanced Experimental Periodontitis

Principal Investigator: Dr. Dana T. Graves, Periodontics (NIH; Total Award $2,234,302, 5 years)

Targeted inhibition of elF5Ahpu suppresses tumor growth and M2-like TAM polarization in oral cancer

Principal Investigator: Dr. Anh Le, Oral Surgery (NIH; Total Award $2,190,903, 5 years)

The role of solitary chemosensory cells in periodontal homeostasis

Principal Investigator: Dr. Marco Tizzano, Basic & Translational Sciences (NIH; Total Award $1,880,149, 3 years)

Trained innate immunity and periodontitis-associated comorbidities

Principal Investigator: Dr. George Hajishengallis, Basic & Translational Sciences (NIH; Total Award; $1,868,750, 5 years)

Targeting mechanical regulation of monocyte fate in head and neck cancer

Principal Investigator: Dr. Kyle Vining, Preventive & Restorative Sciences (NIH; Total Award $858,217, 3 years)

L-arginine impact on interkingdom biofilm development and tissue infection using mouth-on-a-chip (MoC) technology

Principal Investigator: Dr. Hyun Koo, Orthodontics/Community Oral Health/Pediatrics (Colgate Palmolive Company; Total Costs: $761,300, 2 years) mRNA-LNP vaccine platform

Principal Investigator: Dr. Gary Cohen, Basic & Translational Sciences (BioNTech; Total Award $584,255, 1 year)

Treatment of chondrosarcoma by YAP siRNA nanoparticles in a novel chondrosarcoma mouse model

Principal Investigator: Dr. Shuying Yang, Basic & Translational Sciences (Department of Defense; Total Costs: $568,750, 3 years)

Cytolethal distending toxin mediated modulation of phagocytic function.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Taewan J. Kim, Periodontics (NIH; Total Award $483,825, 5 years)

Producing an Optimized Stapled Peptide that specifically targets HSV-1 to Treat herpes ocular Keratitis

Principal Investigator: Dr. Robert Ricciardi, Basic & Translational Sciences (NIH through Fox Chase Chemical Diversity Center; Total Award $459,999, 1 year)

Microsomal Transfer Protein Modulates Lipoprotein Metabolism and Retinal lipid Homeostasis

Principal Investigator: Dr. Kathleen Boesze-Battaglia, Basic & Translational Sciences

(NIH; Total Award $454,319, 2 years)

Viral dynamics of rebound and reservoir HIV species in IPSC-derived myeloid cells

Principal Investigator: Dr. Espinoza Akay, Basic & Translational Sciences (NIH; Total Award $431, 250, 2 years)

Role of solitary chemosensory cells in irritant avoidance and protection of olfactory sensation

Principal Investigator: Dr. Marco Tizzano, Basic & Translational Sciences (NIH; Total Award $363,964, 1 year) mRNA-LNP vaccine platform

Principal Investigator: Dr. Gary Cohen, Basic & Translational Sciences (BioNTech; $259,673, 1 year)

Treatment of chondrosarcoma by YAP siRNA nanoparticles in a novel chondrosarcoma mouse model

Principal Investigator: Dr. Temitope Omolehinwa, Oral Medicine (NIH; Total Award $259,208, 1 year)

Collaborative Research: Smart Dental Implant for Ambulatory Dental Care

Principal Investigator: Dr. Geels Hwang, Preventive & Restorative Sciences (National Science Foundation; Total Award $249,999, 3 years)

Dental Reimbursement Program- Part F

Principal Investigator: Dr. Miriam Robbins, Oral Medicine (Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA); Total Award $216,056, 1 year)

Development of a Peptide-Drug Conjugate for Topically Treating the Viral Skin Disease Molluscum Contagiosum

Principal Investigator: Robert P. Ricciardi, Basic & Translational Sciences (NIH through Fox Chase Chemical Diversity Center; Total Award $174,600, 2 years)

A Phase 2/3, Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Safety and Efficacy Trial of BHV-3000 (Rimegepant) Orally Disintegrating Tablet (ODT) for the Acute Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD)

Principal Investigator: Dr. Eric Granquist, Oral Surgery (Biohaven Pharmaceuticals; Total Award $146,051, 1 year)

Elucidating the spatiotemporal control of MRGPRX2 function 2.0

Principal Investigator: Dr. Hydar Ali, Basic & Translational Sciences (United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation; Total Award $141,000, 4 years)

Oligodendrocyte damage and dysfunction in HIV associated neurocognitive disorder

Principal Investigator: Dr. Kelly L. Jordan Sciutto, Oral Medicine (NIH; Total Award $110,367, 1 year)

Penn mental health AIDS research center

Principal Investigator: Dr. Kelly L. Jordan Sciutto, Oral Medicine (NIH; Total Award $106,706, 1 year)

Exploring caregivers’ experiences related to the use of a smart toothbrush by children with autism spectrum disorder

Principal Investigator: Dr. Katherine A. France, Oral Medicine (Colgate Palmolive Company; Total Award $105,696, 1 year)

Impact of pet contact on antimicrobial-associated dysbiosis and Clostridioides difficile infection

Principal Investigator: Dr. Yu Wang, Periodontics (NIH; Total Award $87,975, 5 years)

Assessment of Medial Arterial Calcification Detected on CBCT: A Sensitive Marker of Vascular Complications

Principal Investigator: Dr. Adeyinka F. Dayo, Oral Medicine (NDAF; Total Award $ 60,000, 1 year)

Overall: Resource-based Center for Musculoskeletal Disorders Research

Principal Investigator: Dr. Chider Chen, Oral Surgery (NIH; Total Award $48,750, 1 year)

Understand biological factors underlying early childhood caries disparity from the oral microbiome in early infancy

Principal Investigator: Dr. Hyun Koo, Orthodontics/Community Oral Health/Pediatrics (NIH through Louisiana State University; Total Award $47,500, 5 years)

In-vitro comparative loading capacity of CAD/CAM implant-supported crowns with different materials and prosthetic designs

Principal Investigator: Dr. Julian Conejo, Preventive & Restorative Sciences (Prosec; Total Award $45,298, 1 year)

The Role of NF-kB in Mesenchymal Stem Cell during Mx Expansion

Principal Investigator: Dr. Hyeran H. Jeon, Orthodontics (American Association of Orthodontists Foundation; Total Award $30,000, 1 year)

$27.92M Awarded for research in FY22