Kyounga Cheon, DMD, MSKyounga Cheon, DMD, MS, associate professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry, has received a $700,000 grant from the Alabama Research and Development Enhancement Fund to develop a novel bioactive dental pulp capping material. The process involves an innovative nanomatrix coating technology in collaboration with a UAB spinoff company, Endomimetics, LLC, and global industry partner BISCO, Inc.
The ARDEF was established by the Alabama Innovation Act and is administered by Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs for the purpose of encouraging new and continuing efforts to conduct research and development activities within Alabama. As a clinician scientist, Cheon has been continuously developing her interdisciplinary research program through the integration of dentistry, microbiology, biomedical engineering and stem cell biology.
The funded project began Jan. 1, 2023 and is expected to run for two years. Dental pulp is a mass of connective tissue contained in the center of the tooth, directly beneath the layer of dentin. Pulp capping is done during dental restoration to prevent tissue loss. The proposal focuses on developing a novel dental pulp capping material by improving bioactivity of pulp tissue while achieving ideal mechanical properties.
“Conventional dental pulp capping materials have shown high solubility, low sealing capacity, weak physio-mechanical properties, uncontrolled pulp necrosis and unpredictable clinical success,” Cheon said. “To tackle the current limitations and improve the capacity to maintain pulp vitality, a novel bioactive DPC material using innovative coating technology of the BionanomatrixTM is proposed.”
Cheon will be leading development of a novel bioactive DPC material employing Endomimetics’ and BISCO’s technologies that will enhance solid translational research as well as the patent application and further commercialization of the combined technologies. Successful outcomes from this project will fuel the final clinical application platform and commercialization steps that will lead to faster product development, with the potential for increased employment in Alabama and beyond.