UCL Eastman Dental Institute

Supervisor: see below
Department / Unit: Microbial Diseases

Project titles:

• Antibiotic resistance in the oral cavity
  metagenomics
  Supervisor: Elaine Allan
• Characterisation of mobile genetic elements
  transposon, plasmids, conjugation, transposition, transfer
  Supervisor: Adam Roberts
• Exploring gene transfer in the whole oral microbiota
  metagenomics, oral microbiota, mobile genetic elements
  Supervisor: Peter Mullany
• Novel approaches to understanding how the important nosocomial pathogen Clostridium difficile causes disease
  Clostridium difficile, virulence, antimicrobial associated disease
  Supervisor: Peter Mullany
• Understanding antibiotic resistance in human associated bacteria
  antibiotic resistance, resistance genes, mechanism of action, metagenomics
  Supervisor: Adam Roberts

Supervisor: see below
Department / Unit: Microbial Diseases

Project titles:

• Identification of novel therapeutic targets in bacteria associated with healthcare infections such as staphylococcus aureus and 'superbugs' such as VRE and MRSA
  Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, enterococci, VRE, virulence
  Supervisor: Sean Nair
• Novel approaches to understanding how the important nosocomial pathogen Clostridium difficile causes disease
  Clostridium difficile, virulence, antimicrobial associated disease
  Supervisor: Peter Mullany
• Role of signal transduction in regulating the virulence of Streptococcus mutans, the causative agent of dental caries
  caries, virulence, signal transduction systems, serine threonine kinases
  Supervisor:Elaine Allan
• Understanding biofilm regulation in Campylobacter jejuni
  biofilms, signalling, virulence
  Supervisor: Elaine Allan
• Virulence factor discovery in Clostridium difficile
  Clostridium difficile, virulence factor, genetics
  Supervisor: Adam Roberts

Supervisor: see below
Department / Unit: Microbial Diseases

Project titles:

• Constant depth film fermentor models of ginigivitis and periodontitis
  gingivitis, periodontitis, biofilms
  Supervisor: David Spratt
  (Due to over-subscription, projects in this area are not being offered in the 2012/13 academic year)
• Development of new strategies for treating implant infections
  biofilms, enterococci, periodontal pathogens, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis
  Supervisor: Sean Nair
• Molecular mechanisms of biofilm formation
  Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, VRSA
  Supervisor: Sean Nair
• Synthetic biology to develop agents for disrupting medically important biofilms
  molecular breeding, domain shuffling, enzymes
  Supervisor: Sean Nair
• Understanding biofilm regulation in Campylobacter jejuni
  biofilms, signalling, virulence
  Supervisor: Elaine Allan
• Factors affecting gene transfer in biofilms
  biofilms, gene transfer, transformation, transduction, conjugation
  Supervisor: Adam Roberts

Supervisor: Jonathan Knowles
Department / Unit: Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering

Project titles:

• Catalyst free synthesis of polyesters for tissue engineering
• Neurogenic and Osteogenic peptide delivery via polymer matrices
• Development of Degradable Fibres for Hard and Soft Tissue Engineering
• Silk fibroin and degradable polyurethane composites with improved mechanical properties

Supervisor: Sajeda Meghji
Department / Unit: Microbial Diseases

Project titles:

• The effect of therapeutic ultrasound on osteoblasts differentiation from mesenchymal stem cells: possible therapeutic use in implant dentistry and periodontology
  ulltrasound, osteoblasts, osteoclasts, bone remodelling
• Heat shock as a non-invasive means to influence mesenchymal stem cell fate, stimulating bone and inhibiting the fat phenotype
  cellular stress, heat shock proteins, bone remodelling
• Pathogenesis of chemically induced osteonecrosis of the jaw and possible therapeutic interventions
  bone, osteoblasts, osteoclasts osteonecrosis, haematopoetic stems cells, mesenchymal stem cells
• The potential of effective tissue engineering using dental pulp stem cells, odontoblasts, and periosteal cells for regenerative endodontics
  pulp cells, cellular stress, matrix remodelling

Supervisor: see below
Department / Unit: Microbial Diseases

Project titles:

• A synthetic biology approach to the development of phage therapy to bacterial diseases
  phage, oral acquisition microflora, caries
  Supervisor: Peter Mullany / Susan Parekh / Paul Ashley
• Role of signal transduction in regulating the virulence of Streptococcus mutans, the causative agent of dental caries
  caries, virulence, signal transduction systems, serine threonine kinases
  Supervisor: Elaine Allan
• Synthetic biology to develop dental plaque disrupting agents
  molecular breeding, domain shuffling, enzymes
  Supervisor: Sean Nair

Supervisor: see below
Department / Unit: Microbial Diseases

Project titles:

• A synthetic biology approach to the development of phage therapy to bacterial diseases
  phage, oral acquisition microflora, caries
  Supervisor: Peter Mullany / Susan Parekh / Paul Ashley
• Identification of novel therapeutic targets in bacteria associated with healthcare infections such as staphylococcus aureus and 'superbugs' such as VRE and MRSA
  Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA, enterococcus, VRE, virulence
  Supervisor: Sean Nair
• Development of novel antimicrobial agents and identification of antimicrobial agents produced by microorganisms
  novel antimicrobials, metagenomics, antimicrobial peptides, bacteriocins
  Supervisor: Sean Nair
• Role of signal transduction in regulating the virulence of Streptococcus mutans, the causative agent of dental caries
  caries, virulence, signal transduction systems, serine threonine kinases
  Supervisor: Elaine Allan
• Targeted photodynamic therapy for bacterial infections
  photosensitizers, singlet oxygen, targeting molecules, MRSA, staphylococcus
  Supervisor: Sean Nair

Supervisor: see below
Department / Unit: Microbial Diseases/ Periodontology

Project titles:

• Constant depth film fermentor models of endodontal infections
  Supervisor: David Spratt
  (Due to over-subscription, projects in this area are not being offered in the 2012/13 academic year)
• Molecular mechanisms of enterococcal resistance to root canal treatments and host defences
  Supervisor: Sean Nair

Supervisor: Peter Brett
Department / Unit: Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering

Project titles:

• The selection and expansion of osteogenic stem cell populations using novel surfaces
  manipulation of cell populations to select and enrich for stem cells with an osteogenic potential
• The manipulation of osteogenic stem cells using the Axl/Gas6 receptor pathway
  manipulation of the Axl receptor pathway in adult stem cells in order to change/alter cells behaviour
• Synthesis of hydrophilic Ti oxides for the manipulation of human bone marrow stem cells
  implants, surfaces, TiO₂ coatings, stem cell behaviour, differentiation
• The development of TiO₂ coated surfaces for the expansion of stem cell populations in bioreactors
  stem cells, selection, expansion, cell therapy

Supervisor: see below
Department / Unit: Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering

Project titles:

• Degradable bone adhesive development
  calcium phosphate, degradable methacrylates, bone cement, drug release
  Supervisor: Anne Young / Vehid Salih
• Re-mineralising, antibacterial dental restorative materials
  calcium phosphate, methacrylate chemistry, dental restoration, antibacterial release / action
  Supervisor: Anne Young / Laurent Bozec
• Replacement of PMMA bone cement with a modified dental composite
  polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), bone cement, dental composite, strength, antibacterial
  Supervisor: Anne Young

Supervisor: Vehid Salih
Department / Unit: Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering

Project titles:

• Development and Characterisation of collagen-based matrices/cellular constructs using osteoblasts and chondrocytes for studying the effects of ultrasound therapy
  biomaterials & tissue engineering, biology, biophysics, engineering
  
• The Development and Evaluation of natural hydrated 3D matrices for cartilage tissue engineering applications
  biomaterials & tissue engineering, biology, biophysics, engineering
  
• Development of a natural matrix/HA composite for hard tissue engineering applications (incl. models of bone cancer and normal tissue interactions)
  biomaterials & tissue engineering, biology, biophysics, engineering
  
  

Supervisor: Laurent Bozec
Department / Unit: Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering

Project titles:

• In-situ nanoscale orientation of collagen matrices for tissue repair
  collagen scaffold, microfluidics, molecular orientation
• Nanoscale infrared spectroscopy for assessing collagen degradation
  atomic force microscopy, collagen scaffold, infrared spectrocopy, biophysics
• Implication of excessive crosslinking on collagen biomechanics
  collagen crosslinking, atomic force microscopy, biophysics
• Collagen in ageing - what is the molecular source of ageing in collagen
  aged collagen, atomic force microscopy, nanothermal analysis, biophysics

Supervisor: Stefano Fedele
Department / Unit: Oral Medicine And Special Care Dentistry

Project titles:

• Development of patient-related outcomes (PRO) measures in oral mucosal diseases
• Innate Immunity defects in oral mucosal disease
• Efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis in reducing the risk of jaw osteonecrosis in individuals exposed to bisphosphonates who undergo dental extractions

Supervisor: Nigel Hunt / Risma Shah
Department / Unit: Orthodontics

Project titles:

• Enhancing orthognathic surgical outcomes
  muscle adaptation, biomaterial scaffolds, growth factors, surgical techniques
• Tissue engineering techniques for the restoration of craniofacial muscle defects
  biomaterial scaffolds, growth factors, genetic modification
• Development of novel orthodontic / orthopaedic techniques for the management of facial deformity
  muscle adaptation, growth factors, tissue engineering, biomaterial scaffolds
• Investigations into limb and craniofacial skeletal muscle adaptation
  exercise, repair, regeneration, growth factors

Supervisor: see below
Department/Unit: Paediatric Dentistry

Project titles:

• Hypodontia: genotype/phenotype
  genetics of oral diseases and its influence to therapy
  Supervisor: Susan Parekh
• Investigations of the effectiveness of remineralising composites as a restorative material in children
  pain management,paediatric dentistry, sedation, anxiety management
  Supervisor: Paul Ashley / Susan Parekh / Heather Buchanan
• Acquisition of oral microflora and novel strategies for caries prevention
  oral acquisition of microflora
  Supervisor: Paul Ashley / Dave Spratt

Supervisor: Susan Cunningham
Department / Unit: Orthodontics

Project titles:

• Outcomes of orthodontic treatment
  Patient-centred outcomes in relation to oral diseases
  

Supervisor: see below
Department / Unit: Microbial Diseases / Periodontology

Project titles:

• Constant depth film fermentor models of ginigivitis and periodontitis
  gingivitis, periodontitis, biofilms
  Supervisor: David Spratt / Nikolaos Donos
  (Due to over-subscription, projects in this area are not being offered in the 2012/13 academic year)
• Identification of natural antimicrobial agents for the treatment of periodontal disease
  periodontal pathogens, natural antimicrobials
  Supervisor: Sean Nair / Nikolaos Donos
• The role of biofilms in infections of titanium surfaces
  periodontal pathogens, implants, titanium
  Supervisor: Sean Nair / Nikolaos Donos

Supervisor: Nikolaos Donos
Department / Unit: Periodontology

Project titles:

• The effect of diabetic metabolic control on guided tissue regeneration.
• The effect of osteoporosis in Guided Bone Regeneration and osseointegration.
• The effect of biofilm in infection of titanium surfaces.
• The effect of the SLActive surface on the potential for new bone formation in experimental diabetes.
• Correlation of histological and molecular mechanisms during the early stages of osseointegration
• Treatment modalities for ridge preservation procedures
• Use of novel synthetic peptides for osteogenesis and angiogenesis

Supervisor: Ian Needleman
Department / Unit: Periodontology

Project titles:

• Periodontal health and quality of life
  Health-related quality of life, clinical research, periodontal diseases, chronic diseases, long-term conditions
• Effect of oral health and athletic performanceOral health, sports medicine, athletic performance, physical endurance, outcome studies

Supervisor: Francesco D'Aiuto
Department / Unit: Periodontology

Project titles:

• The effect of treatment of periodontal disease on metabolic control of diabetic patients.
• Intervention study exploring the relationship between periodontitis and cardiovascular disease.
• Genetic influences on acute inflammation using a periodontal therapy model.

Supervisor: see below
Department / Unit: Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering / Prosthodontics

Project titles:

• The effect of different implant-abutment connection geometry and abutment alloy on corrosion product release
  prosthetic abutment, corrosion, connection geometry, alloy
  Supervisor: Lambis Petridis / Jonathan Knowles
• Antimicrobial coatings for removable prostheses
  removable prostheses, Candida, MRSA, antibacterial, coatings
  Supervisor: Lambis Petridis / Steven Soo

Supervisor: Laurent Bozec / Ailbhe McDonald
Department / Unit: Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering

Project titles:

• Age related characterisation of dental cavities and cracks at the nanoscale
  enamel crack, penetration depth, biomechanics
• Ageing and teeth – mapping teeth mechanical variability as a function of ageing and structural loss
  ageing, atomic force microscopy, speckle interferometry