Project Grant R01DE036259

The National Institutes of Health National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research awarded The Trustees Of The University Of Pennsylvania $521,273 on September 1, 2026, under the Oral Diseases and Disorders Research program (CFDA 93.121).

The award funds research into dendritic cell and T cell dysregulation in periodontitis associated with poorly controlled diabetes. The project examines how hyperglycemia reprograms dendritic cells and T cells through epigenetic mechanisms, activating costimulatory circuits that promote pro-inflammatory IL-17A effector T cells while suppressing regulatory T cells. Research activities include isolating gingival dendritic cells, Th17/γδ17 T cells, and regulatory T cells from diabetic and normoglycemic mice as well as human subjects, assessing epigenetic marks involving histone-3 modification and DNA methylation, and conducting co-culture studies to test whether epigenetic changes drive costimulatory upregulation or suppress pathways supporting regulatory T cell function. The work addresses the connection between diabetes and periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory disease affecting nearly half of U.S. adults and the leading cause of tooth loss, which also contributes to systemic conditions including rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and dementia.

Performance takes place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with a period of performance through May 31, 2031. This is a Project Grant, an assistance type under NIDCR's extramural research program supporting basic, translational, and clinical research in dental, oral, and craniofacial health and disease.