Oral Biolife (OBL), a biotechnology company developing a piezoelectric regenerative platform intended to stimulate bone formation, has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), through the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), to investigate the technology as a potential nonsurgical treatment for peri-implantitis.
The grant will support evaluation of the company’s technology beyond its current development for periodontal bone regeneration. Peri-implantitis is an inflammatory condition involving the tissues surrounding dental implants that can lead to progressive loss of supporting bone and, potentially, implant failure. Treatment may require surgical intervention, highlighting interest in less-invasive approaches that can address both the disease process and associated bone loss.
The study will be led by Ronaldo Santana, DMD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Periodontology and Oral Implantology at Temple University’s Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry, who will serve as principal investigator.
“Dr. Santana brings exceptional scientific and clinical expertise in periodontology, implantology and regenerative dentistry to this program,” said Bill Breitenbach, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer of Oral Biolife. “Having an investigator of his caliber lead this NIH-supported research is important as we rigorously evaluate the potential of our technology in peri-implantitis and continue building the scientific evidence supporting the broader Oral Biolife platform.”
Oral Biolife’s lead human product, Ambrilux™ Dental Gel, is in development for periodontal bone regeneration. According to the company, its piezoelectric platform is designed to convert naturally occurring mechanical forces into localized bioelectric signals intended to stimulate physiological pathways associated with bone formation.
The NIH-funded study will examine whether this regenerative mechanism could have potential application in peri-implantitis and provide additional data regarding the technology’s use in bone-regeneration indications.
“This award is an important milestone for Oral Biolife and a testament to the extraordinary work of our scientific, clinical and development teams,” said Dr. Stella Vnook, President and CEO of Oral Biolife. “We are grateful for NIH’s support and for Dr. Santana’s leadership of this program. Most importantly, this research brings us another step closer to our goal of developing regenerative treatments that can meaningfully change how patients with bone loss are treated. I am incredibly excited about what is ahead for Oral Biolife, our platform and the patients we ultimately hope to serve.”
Oral Biolife is also exploring potential applications of its piezoelectric technology beyond periodontal and peri-implant indications, including other dental, craniofacial, and orthopedic applications involving bone regeneration.
