Guy R Adami
Email Address: gadami@uic.eduCollege: Dentistry Department: Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences
Title: Associate Professor
Office: 569F DENT M/C 838 Phone: 3129966251
Webpage: https://dentistry.uic.edu/guy-adami/
Research Interest:
There are over 700 species of bacteria that make their home in the mouth as part of the oral microbiome. These bacteria can produce molecules that interfere with the function of your oral tissue. Mouth bacteria have long been known to causes disease such as tooth decay and gum disease. Little is known about what else they can do. We have shown bacteria of the mouth in the aged, over 65 years of age, are different than those in young people. We believe these different bacteria may contribute to the decline in healing powers and increased inflammation seen in aged people by making specific molecules that interfere with oral tissue function. We will determine which bacteria in your mouth contribute to the decline in health of the oral tissues seen with aging, how they do it, and find measures to prevent these declines. A second area of interest is developing a noninvasive diagnostic for oral cancer based on microRNA measurement. Minimum time commitment in hours per week: 6 Qualifications of a Student:
No prerequisites except an interest in computational data analysis and computer programming or an interest in biology of disease. Brief Summary of what is expected from the student:
Several areas of work are possible. There is a specific opportunity for a student that would like to be involved with computer based analysis of clinical data including DNA and RNA data in order to determine how the oral microbiome contributes to aging changes of poor healing and increased inflammation. This will be done using large amounts of patient data. We have used this to link specific oral bacteria to specfic disease, such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or conditions, like old age. Microbiome anlaysis includes bench experiments. This includes isolating RNA and DNA from samples, and performing quantitative PCR to measure RNA levels (gene expression) along with gene expression analysis of thousands of genes at once using large scale cDNA sequencing. Contact researcher via URE Email Webform
