CES in Oral Biology - Specialization in Clinical Sciences

The main aim of the Biosanté et Nanoscience Laboratory is to bring nanomaterials and nanosensors closer to clinical application, based on a high-quality methodological approach.

Dental nanobiomaterials are defined as any material containing at least one nano-sized phase, and whose characteristics depend on this phase. Dental filling materials, prosthetic materials and bone replacement materials are likely to fall within this definition. A better understanding of the application of these biomaterials to health and biology forms the basis of our research theme. The expertise acquired concerns organic-inorganic bone nanomaterials for clinical application, the subject of two international patents.

This laboratory has developed a cell biology activity along two lines: study of pulp stem cell adhesion and differentiation, and study of the cytotoxicity of drugs and nanoparticles. We work with primary pulp stem cell cultures and epithelial cell lines. Cell adhesion and proliferation are assessed on different biomaterials (titanium, porous silicon, Poly-Ether-Ether-Ketone) in terms of cell number, morphology and mitotic cycle resumption, using epifluorescence microscopy, confocal microscopy and electron microscopy. Cell differentiation is assessed by enzyme activity (alkaline phosphatase), qPCR, flow cytometry, histology and energy dispersive analysis (EDX). We monitor various molecules (paclitaxel, doxirubicin, titanium nanoparticle) by confocal Raman microscopy, in cancer lines and in fibroblastic primary cultures. The characteristic spectra of each molecule enable kinetic monitoring within cellular compartments. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is used to assess changes in cell stiffness as a function of treatment.