Research group for microbial adhesion
This research group was created to combine the research expertise of the Department of Periodontology with the laboratories of: Biomat Research Group: Material interactions (Prof. B. Van Meerbeek), Centre for Microbial and Plant Genetics: Probiotics (Prof. J. Vanderleyden), Department of Chemical Engineering: Prebiotics (Prof. K. Bernaerts & Prof. J. Van Impe), Department of Human Genetics: Cell culturing (Prof. J-J. Cassiman), Department of Pathophysiology: Breath analysis (Prof. F. Nevens), Laboratory for Clinical and Epidemiological Virology: Virology (Prof. M. Van Ranst), Laboratory of Experimental Microbiology: General microbiology (Prof. J. Van Eldere), Laboratory of Microbial Ecology and Technology: Environmental microbiology (Prof. N. Boon, Ghent University), Rega Institute, Bacteriology Section: Bacterial virulence (Prof. L. Van Mellaert & Prof. J. Anné), Rega Institute, Molecular Immunology Section: Immunology (Prof. J. Van Damme).
This research group covers research within a broad field of oral microbiology including topics such as : bacterial adhesion to hard and soft tissues, bacterial-host interactions, biofilm control via antiseptics, antibiotics, probiotics, prebiotics and predatory bacteria, biofilm formation, clinical oral microbiology, environmental effects on bacterial adhesion, colonization and biofilm formation, microbiological communication, interaction of bacteria in bad breath formation.
The research is conducted by a team of highly trained and motivated researchers under the daily guidance of Dr. M. Pauwels and Prof. W. Teughels. Close collaboration with other laboratories within the university, as well as at an international level, forms a key-stone in our scientific approach. We believe that only via such a multidisciplinary approach significant discoveries can be made.
Key personnel
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Collaboration & Users
Dentaid (Spain), Pfizer Oral Healthcare (USA), Pfizer Animal Healthcare (UK), GABA (Switzerland), Nobel Biocare (Sweden), Straumann (Switzerland), ASTRA Tech Dental (Sweden), Pierre Fabre (France); University Groningen (Netherlands), Forsyth Institute (Boston,USA), Complutense University Madrid (Spain), University of California (USA), University of Vermont (USA), University of Geneva (Switzerland), Ac. Centrum Tandheelkunde Amsterdam (Netherlands), Goteborg University (Sweden), Karolinska Instiute (Sweden)
Challenges
- to develop non-antibiotic antimicrobial treatment approaches for periodontal diseases
- to understand the role of the beneficial oral microbiota and their cross talk
- to develop techniques for the differential diagnosis of halitosis
- to develop rapid diagnostic/screening test for systemic diseases based on breath analysis
- to develop probiotic treatment strategies
- to develop prebiotics
