William Vu wins the 2022 CCTS Best Clinical and Translational Research in Dentistry Award

CCTS recognizes the development and mentorship of the next generation of translational scientists by awarding a student researcher at health science colleges for the “Best Clinical and Translational Science Abstract”. At the College of Dentistry, this is a tradition that began in 2010 when dental student Michael Trimarchi was awarded for his project, “Social Stress Effects on Asthma –A Role for Osteopontin”.

At the annual Research Day held on February 25^th, 2022, William Vu who is a D4 student mentored by Dr. Purnima Kumar , professor of periodontology, won the CTSA Best Clinical & Translational Research Award. Other study team members include and Michelle L Scott, a DDS-PhD Fellow in the College of Dentistry as well as Prem Preshant Chaudhary, PhD of the of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. The CCTS award includes a $250 cash prize.

Vu's " A Comparative Study on the Effects of E-Cigarettes and Smoking on the Oral Metabolome" was based on clinical saliva samples collected and analyzed from 55 men and women (14 never smokers, 15 dual users, and 26 former smokers). Analysis resulted in 3645 peaks and 503 annotated metabolites. The metabolomic data showed distinct changes in the oral microbiomes of the 3 groups of smokers.

Julie Johnson, PharmD, is the Director and Principal Investigator at The Ohio State University Center for Clinical and Translational Science.