TraCS supports research enabling biological discovery in dental health
Researchers, led by UNC Adams School of Dentistry's Kimon Divaris, DDS, PhD, have published results on a community-based study leading to the discovery that bacteria species have the potential to cause dental disease in certain contexts.
TraCS funding and support
In August 2015, UNC Adams School of Dentistry's Kimon Divaris, DDS, PhD, the James Bawden Distinguished Professor, received a TraCS $50K translational research pilot grant, entitled; "Who does what in the oral biofilm: the metagenome and metatranscriptome of early childhood oral health and disease".
The intent of the pilot grant was to analyze dental plaque biofilm samples from a cohort of children using multi-omics approaches.
The grant contributed to the subsequent NIH-funded study "Zero-Out Early Childhood Caries (ZOE 2.0)" project, a genetic epidemiologic study of early childhood oral health among a community-based sample of preschool-age children in North Carolina.
Study results published in Nature Communications
Results from the study were published May 22, 2023 in Nature Communications and were highlighted in a recent NIH Research Matters story. The TraCS pilot-supported whole genome shotgun (WGS) sequencing (i.e., metagenomics) and RNAseq oral microbiome analysis that is part of the work is outlined in panel 5 of Figure 1 in the Nature Communications Paper.
The TraCS Biostatistics service also assisted with study design and data analytics for the pilot project.
In regards to TraCS backing, Divaris says "NC TraCS has been invaluable to my research program development since the very beginning, providing expert guidance and timely support. Their support helped us develop our pipelines, QA/QC/troubleshoot, and opened the door in this research avenue—without it, we may have not done this work at all..."
Additional support for ZOE
TraCS continues to support Divaris' work through the Inclusive Science (ISP) Program helping develop the interview guide, train interviewers, and conduct interviews for the associated "ZOE Socio-contextual factors influencing children's oral health" study, a population-based cohort study of pre-K children in NC, assessing social and biological determinants of oral health.
The TraCS Community and Stakeholder Engagement (CaSE) program provided support to engage communities in Nash and Wayne counties North Carolina for a pediatric dental grant aimed at reducing childhood caries.
The TraCS commercialization program, FastTraCS, advised on mapping needs associated with childhood dental health, translational research applications, and potential solutions.
For more details on the results of the ZOE 2.0 study, see the article: Two schools, eight years and 16 investigators: community-based study offers dental disease insights.