The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has granted more than $1.7 million to a University of Utah researcher to identify how genetic mutations influence a protein pathway responsible for permanent tooth formation.
Rena D'Souza, DDS, PhD, a professor of dentistry at the university's School of Dentistry, and her team will study the relationship between the gene PAX9, which is linked with tooth development, and the WNT pathway, a family of proteins that pass signals in cells responsible for normal tooth development, according to the university.
The goal is to start with research in mice then progress to human trials. The researchers hope any discoveries could lead to new therapies that re-establish the normal interaction between the gene and the pathway to restore tooth development.
