IADR and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare announce winners of 2009 Innovation in Oral Care Awards

Alexandria, Va. – The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Consumer Healthcare today announced the 2009 winners of the annual IADR/GSK Innovation in Oral Care Awards. The three prestigious awards recognize research in innovative oral care technologies that may maintain and improve oral health and the quality of life.

In its sixth year of award support, GSK Consumer Healthcare has contributed nearly $1.4 million. Each of the three 2009 winners will receive a $75,000 unrestricted research grant, which is funded by GSK Consumer Healthcare and administered by IADR. The 2009 winners are:

• Eric Reynolds, B.Sc., Ph.D., The University of Melbourne School of Dental Science, Australia, for "Development of Oxantel to Prevent Periodontopathogenic Biofilm Formation." Oxantel is already approved for use in humans at relatively high concentrations as a treatment for intestinal parasites. Reynolds and his team have patented its use for the treatment of periodontal diseases. Once the efficacy of Oxantel against periodontopathogenic bacterial biofilms has been demonstrated, it should be possible to develop a professional product that will result in improved oral health for persons with periodontitis.

• Rena D'Souza, B.D.S., M.S., D.D.S., Ph.D., Baylor College of Dentistry, Texas A&M Health Science Center in Dallas, USA, for "Nanostructured Peptide Hydrogels and Stem Cells for Dentin-Pulp Complex Regeneration." This innovative research will develop and test novel peptide-based hydrogels as scaffolds to promote the differentiation of adult stem cells and the formation of dentin and pulp tissues. This biologically based endodontic therapy offers an important alternative for individuals in a clinical situation with an otherwise poor prognosis.

• Sandra Bordin, Ph.D., The University of Washington School of Dentistry, Seattle, USA, for "Optical Coherence Tomography for Non-invasive Diagnosis of Periodontal Disorders." This proposal plans to develop miniature, high-resolution Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) imaging needle devices to explore the validity of this bioengineering technology, which would have a near-term impact on oral health improvement by guiding biopsies and monitoring treatment response in a broad range of oral conditions, thus reducing costs of healthcare. In addition, this technology could stimulate the development/analysis of molecular studies aimed at augmenting the innate capacity of soft connective tissues to heal and regenerate.

This year, the IADR/GSK Innovation in Oral Care Awards received 28 applications from teams of researchers from around the globe. Each application was reviewed by a panel of experts under the chairmanship of Dr. Mariano Sanz, Dean, Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain) Dental School.

The awards will be presented during the 87th General Session & Exhibition of the IADR, to be held April 1-4, 2009, in Miami, Florida, USA.

"GSK is honored to partner with IADR to continue to offer the Innovation in Oral Care Awards to such talented investigators," said Dr. Stuart R. Smith, Vice President Global Dental Scientific and Professional Communications for GSK. "These teams have garnered ground-breaking research, and I'm confident that this research will produce innovative technologies that can be used to improve oral care."

"IADR is grateful for the tremendous contributions GSK has made to fund the prestigious Innovation in Oral Care Awards," said IADR President J.M. "Bob" ten Cate. "This awards program has received proposals from many superb investigators, and IADR is very pleased with the high aggregate standard of the applications submitted for improving oral health worldwide."

The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) is a nonprofit organization with more than 11,300 individual members worldwide, dedicated to: (1) advancing research and increasing knowledge to improve oral health, (2) supporting the oral health research community, and (3) facilitating the communication and application of research findings for the improvement of oral health worldwide.

To learn more about IADR, visit www.iadr.org.

GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is one of the world's largest over-the-counter healthcare products. Its well-known global brands include Aquafresh®, Sensodyne®, Polident® and PoliGrip®.

GlaxoSmithKline – one of the world's leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.

To learn more about GlaxoSmithKline, visit www.gsk.com.