10/30/2023
By Miryam Adelfio

The Francis College of Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering invites you to attend a doctoral dissertation defense by Miryam Adelfio on “Sustaining Long-Term Host-Microbiome Interactions in a Physiologically Relevant Gingival Tissue Model In Vitro."

Candidate: Miryam Adelfio
Degree: Doctoral – Biomedical Engineering and Biotechnology
Defense Date: Thursday, Nov. 16, 2023
Time: 10 a.m.
Location: Perry Hall 315, North Campus. Those interested in participating virtually can contact Professor Ghezzi Chiara or Miryam Adelfio for the Zoom link.
Thesis/Dissertation Title: Sustaining Long-Term Host-Microbiome Interactions in a Physiologically Relevant Gingival Tissue Model In Vitro

Committee

  • Committee Chair and Faculty Advisor Professor Chiara E. Ghezzi, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Professor Bryan J. Black, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell
  • Professor Natalia Palacios, Department of Public Health, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Abstract: Oral host-microbiome interactions are known to be fundamental in maintaining the local and systemic health of the human body, although they are challenging to study in both clinical and in vitro applications. Particularly, in vitro, despite the efforts, decoding host-pathogen interactions cannot be achieved by traditional tissue engineering strategies (i.e., 2D or 3D planar models). Currently, the main setbacks are due to the difficulties of 1) recapitulating the anatomical architecture and physiological features (depth and oxygen tension) of the host-microbiome niche and 2) co-culturing mammalian cells and complex subgingival plaque microbiome for long-term studies. Rather, the success of an in vitro engineered host-microbiome interface lies in the cyto-anatomical features (i.e., cells, oxygen, and pH gradients) and microenvironmental signals (i.e., salivary flow, drinking, chewing) that force both players to constantly adapt and shape the oral physiology. Therefore, there is a need for in vitro models that can support long-term investigations of host-microbiome homeostasis and imbalances (periodontal diseases), with the goal of 1) understanding host’s tissue responses to healthy or disease microbiomes; 2) calibrate these molecular events to uncover disease trajectories (i.e., gingivitis or periodontitis) and 3) developing intervention methods to restore periodontal health (rebiosis), especially given the prevalence of the disease- 45-50% in the U.S. population. The aim of this doctoral research was to develop and validate an in vitro humanized three-dimensional gingival tissue model to mimic periodontal health and to serve as a platform to study the initiation (gingivitis) and progression of disease and host-microbiome response over a long period of time.