The Friends of NIDCR has the honor of acknowledging the dedication these individuals continue to provide the oral health research community. The Gala culminates another year of outreach and education from the Friends. We move into 2007 with the highest hopes for a bright future. Be assured that your efforts make a difference and we look forward to working with our members on issues important to us all.

Sincerely,
Alec

Alec Stone
Executive Director

Federal Legislative Update

Congress Reauthorizes the NIH
In the last remaining hours of the 109th Congress, the NIH Reauthorization bill was passed. Overall, the bill concentrated on the Director's Office and certain functional elements directed to it. Reauthorization also incorporated enhanced strategic planning, support for trans-Institute work and new reporting guidelines for research activities.

Most appropriations bills were not completed, forcing a continued resolution (CR) that will fund the government at the previous year's level. The CR included elements for NIH funding, with approximately 7 percent for FY 2007 and 8 percent for FY 2008. The first acts of the 110th Democrat-controlled Congress will be to review the federal budget for both 2007 and 2008.

NIDCR Research News

Two Papers Link Irf6 to Skin Development
December 14, 2006
www.nidcr.nih.gov/NewsAndReports/ScienceNewsInBrief/default.htm
Four years ago, a team of NIDCR grantees and colleagues isolated a gene involved in causing Van der Woude syndrome, the most common of the syndromic forms of cleft lip and palate. Amid the good news, the scientists predicted that further study of the gene, called intereferon regulatory factor (Irf6), would likely reveal a series of important clues into mammalian and thus human development. In the November issue of the journal Nature Genetics, the NIDCR grantees and their colleagues report on the latest developmental clue to be teased out of Irf6. The scientists found that mice with deficient amounts of the Irf6 protein in utero are born with abnormal skin, limb, and craniofacial development. Their analyses indicated that the primary defect involved keratinocytes, the major cell type of the epidermis, suggesting the Irf6 protein is necessary to regulate their proper differentiation and proliferation. According to the authors, their discovery links for the first time an IRF family member to epidermal development. As they noted, "The new roles for a member of the IRF family expand the repertoire of IRF functions from stress response into development but suggest a bridge that spans these apparently disparate functions." To read more about this paper by Ingraham et al., click here.

In the same issue of Nature Genetics, another group of NIDCR grantees report independently and simultaneously that Irf6 "is a key determinant of the keratinocyte proliferation-differentiation switch." The finding is based on work with mice that carried a missense mutation in both copies of the Irf6 gene in utero. To read more about this paper by Richardson et al., click here.

Pellicle Brief
December 14, 2006
The enamel pellicle is the thin biofilm that forms on our teeth shortly after brushing. As dentists note, that’s not a bad thing because the pellicle, an amalgam of salivary proteins and glycoproteins, adhere to the enamel's mineralized hydroxyapatite crystals and perform a number vital housekeeping functions, such as inhibiting crystal growth, serving as a barrier to acids, and allowing remineralization. However, the pellicle is a dynamic structure that also serves as the foundation upon which oral bacteria colonize the tooth surface and grow into a complex and potentially disease-causing biofilm.

What's been especially difficult to determine for a variety of technical reasons is the three-dimensional structure of proteins in the pellicle as they adsorb - or, condense tightly within a thin layer - to the enamel. Solving this structural puzzle will help in variety of areas, from fighting tooth decay and periodontal disease to engineering and maintaining replacement tooth enamel. In the October 31 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, NIDCR grantees provide an important structural determination of the pellicle protein statherin, which mediates bacterial adhesion to the tooth surface. Using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance, the authors report the first direct, high-resolution 3D determination of the loop-like folding pattern of statherin's C terminal as it actually binds on hydroxyapatite. The C terminal receptor domain is of particular interest because it seems to be where the finger-like fimbriae of oral bacteria touch down and bind. Interestingly, the authors confirmed that the C terminal is unstructured in solution. This may explain why fimbriae don't bind to statherin in saliva but only after the protein has adsorbed and folded the C terminal on tooth enamel. To read more about this paper by Goobes, Stayton, Drobny et al., click here.

Scientists Identify New Resolvin
December 12, 2006
For dentists and doctors, treating patients with periodontal disease or other chronic inflammatory diseases traditionally has meant trying to turn off the green-light biochemicals that prompt an immune response. Missing from the therapeutic equation has been an appreciation that the immune system also produces red-light biochemical signals that naturally stop the inflammatory response. An NIDCR grantee and his colleagues have discovered a number of these lipid, or fatty acid, stop signals in recent years and subdivided them into two broad categories, or families of chemical mediators: protectins and "resolution phase interaction products," or resolvins.

In the November issue of the journal Chemistry and Biology, these researchers add another novel compound to the list of resolvins. It goes by the acronym RvE2 and belongs to the "E series" of resolvins, meaning the compound is generated from eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), the heart-protecting omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil. This new EPA-derived mediator is produced as an intermediate in a biosynthetic pathway that yields the earlier described resolvin E1. Interestingly, this pathway is mediated by the enzyme 5-lipoxygenase, which also catalyzes pro-inflammatory signals. According to the authors, whether 5-lipoxygenase catalyzes a stop-or-go inflammatory signal "appears to be determined via substrate availability" during the time course of an inflammatory response. "Hence, it might be useful to consider resolvins such as RvE2 as endogenous agonists of anti-inflammation and as potential therapeutics," they noted. To read more about this study by Tjonahen et al., click here.

NIH Announces More Than 50 Awards in the Pathway to Independence Program

Five-Year Grants Foster Transition to Research Independence
Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., director of the National Institutes of Health, today named 58 recipients of the NIH Pathway to Independence Award.

The Pathway to Independence Program, announced in January of this year, offers a new opportunity for promising postdoctoral scientists to receive both mentored and independent research support from the same award.

"New investigators provide energy, enthusiasm, and ideas that propel the scientific enterprise towards greater discovery and push forward the frontiers of medical research," Dr. Zerhouni said. "We hope that the Pathway to Independence is a bridge that will support new investigators at precisely the point between mentoring and independence that we have seen as a most vulnerable time in the career path. We must invest in the future of our new scientists today if we expect to meet the nation's health challenges of tomorrow."

This announcement is the first of three rounds of awards to be made this fiscal year, with several additional awards from this round to be made in early January. NIH has received almost 900 applications and will issue between 150 and 200 awards for this program this year. Furthermore, NIH expects to issue the same number of awards each of the following five years. During this time, the NIH will provide almost $400 million in support of the program. All NIH Institutes and Centers are participating in this award program. The Pathway to Independence Awards are a major piece of a larger, ongoing NIH effort to support new scientists as they transition to research independence, and supplements efforts being made at individual Institutes and Centers.

"In today's challenging budget environment, it is critical that NIH preserve the ability of young scientists with fresh ideas to enter the competitive world of NIH funding," said Zerhouni. "Nothing is more important."

For more information about the NIH Pathway to Independence Program, visit grants.nih.gov/grants/new_investigators/index.htm.

NIDA Researchers Complete Unprecedented Scan of Human Genome That May Help Unlock the Genetic Contribution to Tobacco Addition

Results of a new genetic study bring scientists one step closer to understanding why some smokers become addicted to nicotine, the primary reinforcing component of tobacco. The research, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, represents the most powerful and extensive evidence to date of genetic risk factors for tobacco addiction. The study not only completed the first scan of the human genome to identify genes not previously associated with nicotine dependence (or addiction), it also focused on genetic variants in previously suspected gene families. The research results will appear December 1 in the online issue of the "Journal of Human Molecular Genetics."

"This genome wide association scan is an important step in a large-scale genetic examination of nicotine addiction," says Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni, Director of the NIH. "As more genomic variations are discovered that are associated with substance abuse, including smoking, we will be better able to understand how to prevent and treat human addictive disorders."

Smoking behaviors, including the onset of smoking, smoking persistence (current smoking versus past smoking), and nicotine addiction, cluster in families. Studies of twins indicate that this clustering partly reflects genetic factors. To identify those genes that could potentially contribute to nicotine dependence scientists combined a comprehensive genome-wide scan with a more traditional approach that focuses on a limited number of candidate genes, using unrelated nicotine-dependent smokers as cases and unrelated non-dependent smokers as controls. A candidate gene has one or more variant forms, which, according to current scientific evidence, appear to be linked to a genetic disease.

In addition to funding from NIDA, this research was also supported by a grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Fact sheets on the health effects of drugs of abuse and information on NIDA research and other activities can be found on the NIDA home page at www.drugabuse.gov.

Patient Advocacy Spotlight: National Osteoporosis Foundation

NOF's Vision: To make bone health a reality and a lifelong priority for all individuals

NOF's Mission: To prevent osteoporosis, to promote lifelong bone health, to help improve the lives of those affected by osteoporosis and related fractures, and to find a cure.

Established in 1984, the National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization solely dedicated to osteoporosis and bone health.

NOF is committed to achieving our mission through programs of awareness, education and training, advocacy and research.

In order to accomplish our mission -- to prevent osteoporosis, to promote lifelong bone health, to help improve the lives of those affected by osteoporosis and related fractures, and to find a cure -- NOF accepts support from a wide breadth of diversified sources, including individuals, foundations, government sources and corporations.

While some of these funds may be restricted to specific projects, NOF maintains its independence and objectivity in accordance with the National Health Council's guiding principles. NOF does not endorse any particular product, service or point of view, but does inform the public about all FDA-approved therapies, as well as the availability of other appropriate products and services as part of its educational responsibility to the public and healthcare professionals.

Scientific members of NOF's Board of Trustees, as well as other leading experts in the field of osteoporosis, are routinely consulted to provide a fair and balanced perspective regarding written materials and educational programming.

For more on NOF, visit: www.nof.org

IADR/AADR Member Named Ambassador for Global Health Research

Nov. 20, 2006 -- IADR/AADR member Lois K. Cohen, PhD, has been named as an Ambassador in Research!America's Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research. Cohen, a consultant for the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), is one of 27 ambassadors selected for this prestigious research advocacy team. Selected by an Advisory Council that includes three Nobel Laureates, the inaugural class of Ambassadors will work to build a national discussion about the need to assign a high priority to global health research. Ambassadors will meet with opinion leaders and decision makers to convey the importance of global health research to Americans and to the nation.

2007 Folic Acid Campaign Materials Released

Maternal and Child Health Library
The Folic Acid Now! campaign offers an online media tool kit and consumer materials that community programs can customize and use during National Folic Acid Awareness Week (January 8-14, 2007). The campaign is sponsored by the March of Dimes and the National Alliance for Hispanic Health and managed by the National Folic Acid Council (NCFA), a project of the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition. The tool kit contains a media outreach worksheet and outreach activity ideas, including activities for a Hispanic community. A fact sheet and local press release (in English and Spanish) are also provided. Consumer materials, including bookmarks, brochures, and stickers (in English and Spanish) are also available for use in sharing the folic acid message. Materials may be downloaded from the NCFA Web site, or ordered free-of-charge. More information is available at www.folicacidinfo.org/campaign.

Help Me Smile: Oral Health Risk Assessment Protocols, Training Modules, and Educational Materials for use with Families of Young Children

National Head Start Oral Health Resource Center
This collection of materials provides oral health professionals with protocols, modules, and educational materials to promote good oral health for families with young children. The collection is divided into the following sections: prenatal and mother, infancy (0-11 months), toddler (12-35 months), and early childhood (3-5 years). Topics include fluoride in the water; teeth cleaning; nutrition; the dental home; bad breath, bleeding gums, and toothache; and “lift the lip” protocols for infants and young children. Also included are handouts, a laminated and illustrated flip chart, an instruction sheet, a checklist, and instructions for obtaining a fluoride analysis of a water sample. [Funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau] Contact: National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center, Georgetown University, Box 571272,Washington, DC 20057-1272. Telephone: (202) 784-9771; fax: (202) 784-9777; e-mail: info@mchoralhealth.org; Web site: www.mchoralhealth.org. Available at no charge from the Web site at www.mchoralhealth.org/materials/multiples/helpmesmile.

Treatment of Periodontal Disease and the Risk of Preterm Birth

National Head Start Oral Health Resource Center
Michalowicz et al. assessed whether nonsurgical periodontal treatment in pregnant women reduces the risk of delivery before 37 weeks of gestation and results in a higher birthweight and a reduced proportion of infants who are small for gestational age. Researchers randomly assigned participants (women who were between 13 and 17 weeks of gestation at the beginning of the study) to receive periodontal treatment either before 21 weeks (413 women) of pregnancy or after delivery (410 women). Those in the treatment group received scaling and root planing and oral hygiene instruction before 21 weeks of gestation, as well as monthly tooth polishing and ongoing scaling and planing as needed until delivery. Control group participants were offered the same treatment after delivery. The authors found no significant difference in birth outcomes among women treated for periodontal disease during pregnancy vs. those in the control group who received treatment postpartum. This study is one of the first to demonstrate that treatment during pregnancy is safe and effective in improving the periodontal status of women. Michalowicz BS, Hodges JS, DiAngelis AJ, Lupo VR, Novak MJ, Bofill J, Papanou PN, Mitchell DA, Matseoane S, Tschida PA for the OPT Study. 2006. The New England Journal of Medicine 355(18)1886-1894. Abstract available at content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/355/18/1885.

Organization Creates Effort to Elect Lawmakers Who Support Scientific Research

AAPHD Update – December 4, 2006
A nonpartisan group of scientists has announced the formation of an organization that aims to elect politicians "who respect evidence and understand the importance of using scientific engineering advice in making public policy," the New York Times reports. Organizers of the group Scientists and Engineers for America said it would be a nonpartisan organization. However, during interviews, group members said SEA was created out of concern over several Bush administration policies, including positions on climate change, stem cell research, and over-the counter sale of emergency contraception. In a statement posted on its Web site, the group said scientists and engineers have an obligation "to enter the political debate when the nation's leaders systematically ignore scientific evidence and analysis, put ideological interest ahead of scientific truths, suppress valid scientific evidence, and harass and threaten scientists for speaking honestly about their research." SEA also said that scientists who receive federal funds should be able to discuss their work publicly and that appointments to federal scientific advisory committees should be based solely on scientific qualifications, not political ideologies. SEA Executive Director Mike Brown said the group will focus on political races that involve science policies. Members include former science advisers in previous administrations, a number of Nobel laureates, and Susan Wood, who resigned from the FDA last year. Wood, research professor of public health at George Washington University, said, "We need a very strong scientific competency within government and we have put that at risk."

Funding Opportunities

Pharmacogenetics of Fluoride (R01) (PAR-07-131)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Application Receipt/Submission Date(s): January 15, 2009
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-07-131.html

Request for Information (RFI): Tools and Resources for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research in the Nervous System (Neuroscience Blueprint) (NOT-DC-06-004)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-DC-06-004.html

Temporomandibular Joint and Muscle Disorders: Pathophysiological Mechanisms Linking Comorbid Conditions (R01) (PA-07-150)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Application Receipt/Submission Date(s): Mulitple dates, see announcement
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-07-150.html

Oral Health of Special Needs and Older Populations (R01) (PA-07-151)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
National Institute on Aging
Application Receipt/Submission Date(s): Multiple dates, see announcement
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-07-151.html

Epidemiological and Behavioral Research in Oral Health (R01) (PA-07-169)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Application Receipt/Submission Date(s): Multiple dates, see announcement
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-07-169.html

Metagenomic Analyses of the Oral Microbiome (R01) (PA-07-170)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Application Receipt/Submission Date(s): Multiple dates, see announcement
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-07-170.html

Novel Approaches To Study Polymicrobial Diseases (R01) (PA-07-171)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Application Receipt/Submission Date(s): Multiple dates, see announcement
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-07-171.html

Research on Malignancies in AIDS and Acquired Immune Suppression (R01) (PA-07-173)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Application Receipt/Submission Date(s): Multiple dates, see announcement
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-07-173.html

Protein Biomarkers of Infection-Associated Cancers (R01) (PA-07-179)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Application Receipt/Submission Date(s): Multiple dates, see announcement
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-07-179.html

Genetic and Genomic Analyses of Xenopus (R01) (PAR-07-144)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Application Receipt/Submission Date(s): January 18, 2008
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-07-144.html

Tools for Zebrafish Research (R01) (PAR-07-145)
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Application Receipt/Submission Date(s): September 19, 2007
grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-07-145.html