This Project Grant award, valued at $460,885 and made by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) under the Oral Diseases and Disorders Research (CFDA 93.121) program, supports research to investigate how interactions between the fungus Candida albicans and the bacterium Streptococcus mutans contribute to the development of severe early childhood caries (S-ECC).
The key objectives of this research project are to: 1) identify the fungal transcription factors and protein kinases that regulate the formation of interkingdom assemblages between C. albicans and S. mutans, enabling enhanced surface colonization, biofilm spreading, and virulence; 2) examine how these regulatory networks modulate biofilm initiation, spreading, and enamel demineralization; and 3) evaluate the impact of these fungal factors on the oral microbiome and caries severity in vivo. This comprehensive research program, spanning laboratory studies and in vivo investigations, aims to provide new mechanistic insights about the highly virulent interactions between these microbial species and their role in the development of the rampant and severe carious lesions characteristic of S-ECC, which remains a significant public health challenge.
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