Molecular investigation of the effects of mesenchymal bone marrow-derived stem cells on cells descending from periodontal tissues

• Applicant: Dr. Susanne Proksch
• Subject Area: Dentistry, Oral Surgery
• Term: from 2013 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 240723918

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are promising for periodontal regeneration purposes. In the context of putative regenerative periodontal therapies, hMSCs may interact with different periodontal cell types in a particular biomechanical environment. This raises the question in which way the hMSC-related enhancement of hard tissue formation may relate to the cellular and biomechanical environment. The project aims at investigating the influence of hMSCs on periodontal cells by questioning whether hMSCs secrete osteoinductive messenger molecules and if so, whether these may attract different periodontal cell types. Furthermore, hMSCs are cultivated on polymer-based pillar arrays with definable tuned micropatterns. Subsequently, we focus on investigating whether biomechanically preconditioned hMSCs express different levels of osteoinductive biomessengers, and which mechanisms may underlie these modifications. For this purpose, the cellular migration behavior and the signaling molecules secreted by hMSCs will be evaluated by functional, molecular biological and immunological assays. The results of this study will help in prospectively directing the differentiation behavior of hMSCs by defining specific biomechanical environmental parameters. Moreover, the result of a putative therapeutic hMSC administration in periodontal therapies will gain better predictability.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants