Keyvan Moharamzadeh (PhD student 2004-2007)
A 3D oral mucosal model for treatment development and evaluation
The aims of this project are to characterise and assess tissue engineered reconstructed oral mucosa for in vitro use as a pre-clinical model for mucotoxicity and biocompatibility studies of dental materials. An effective model of this type will reduce or avoid the need for animal testing, and permit the development of more specific oral health products, with greater safety and more rapidly than has been possible to date.
In a study approved by the South Sheffield Research Ethics Committee, human oral fibroblasts and keratinocytes have been isolated from consenting patients having oral surgery. After expansion in vitro, these cells have been re-seeded into a dermal scaffold and grown at the liquid air interface to construct an oral mucosal model.
This model has been evaluated before and after exposure to dental materials using Alamar Blue assay, inflammatory markers measurements (IL-1β and TNF-α ELISA), basic histology and electron microscopy. Further work is underway to refine the model, and assess it's usefulness in other pre-clinical trials.
Supervisor(s): Prof. Ian M Brook, Dr Andy Scutt (Eng Mat) and Prof. Richard van Noort
Dr Keyvan Moharamzadeh is now a clinical lecturer in restorative dentistry at the University of Sheffield:
Dr Keyvan Moharamzadeh B.Sc., D.D.S., Ph.D. (Home page at the University of Sheffield)