Young researcher award: What should one do when bones in your mouth disappear?

Can you give new life to tissue in the mouth without removing a bone graft from the hip bone? And can one build up the bone structure, so that new teeth are fixed in one's own bone instead of in synthetic implants? 

These are the questions the young Indian researcher asked himself when he worked as a dentist after his studies. He completed his dental education in India, took further education in Great Britain and Sweden, and came to Norway in 2016 as a doctoral candidate at the Department of Clinical Dentistry (IKO), Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bergen. This week, Siddharth Vivek Shanbhag receives the Young Researcher of the Year award from Helse Vest.

- It is very nice to win an award. It is my first award from Helse Vest, and it gives me enormous motivation to work further. I know that I am doing relevant work and that I am on the right track, says Shanbhag in the lab on the fourth floor of the IKO building. Here, researchers from all over the world work side by side, while the dental students receive lessons downstairs. 

Regeneration of bone defects

The 38-year-old, who is connected to both the University of Bergen and Haukland University Hospital, has spent several years researching bone reconstruction in the mouth.

- When a tooth is damaged and pulled out, the bone under the tooth will eventually disappear. In order to insert a new tooth, the bone and tissue where the tooth stood is then missing. Today, this was replaced with an implant, so that the new tooth has something to stand on. When there are many missing teeth, we have a problem. There is not enough bone in the mouth to attach the implants to. 

- We see it particularly well in older people. The aging population will mean that more people will need bone growth, which requires a good growth response when using supplementary therapy such as stem cells or growth factors. 

Today, new bone tissue has been grown from bone marrow derived stem cells from the hip bone. Through his research, Shanbhag has looked at the possibility of taking stem cells from the oral cavity instead. At the same time, he has improved the way the cells are cultivated in the laboratory using a new growth factor supplement - platelet lysate. In this way, the cells can be harvested in a simpler way and grown in their natural environment. 

- We have developed a new growth factor supplement - "BergenLys", which enables better and safer cultivation of stem cells in the laboratory. Here, we have created a growth environment that is similar to what we have in the body, and in this way tricked the cells into growing better.

From India to Bergen

Indian Siddharth Vivek Shanbhag is a postdoctoral fellow at the Laboratory Clinic - Department of Immunology and Transfusion Medicine (AIT) at Haukeland University Hospital. He is a researcher at the Department of Clinical Dentistry (IKO), at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bergen. He grew up in India, where he completed his dental education. Furthermore, he went on to further education in Great Britain and Sweden, before he came to Norway in 2016 as a doctoral candidate at IKO-UiB. Today he speaks the Bergen dialect and in 2022 he completed his Norwegian authorization as a dentist.  

In his doctoral thesis, Shanbhag researched the use of stem cells for bone regeneration. Regeneration of bone defects is an important treatment in dentistry, orthopedics and traumatology, where today's treatment alternatives are not very effective. Stem cell therapy offers new and promising possibilities for patients with advanced tissue loss. The research was carried out using various methods and analyzes in both in vitro studies and animal experiments. 

- As a dentist, we see a lot of bone loss. Coming from the clinical side, and been working in a clinic with patients, I always look at how the research can be put into use.

International network

As a researcher in the Helse Vest region, Shanbhag has a large network, both nationally and internationally. The collaboration between the hospital and the university is also something he highlighted as positive for his further career, such as the establishment of the Mohn Research Center for Regenerative Medicine (MRCRM). The center is headed by professor Einar Kristoffersen. He also emphasized the Center for Translational Oral Research (TOR), led by Professor Kamal Mustafa. Shanbhag's research is closely linked to both centres. 

- I feel lucky to have received so much support and responsibility. I work independently in the project and manage the finances and budget myself. At the same time, it is possible to combine research with clinical work as a dentist. It is a great advantage to work with both the university and the hospital. I also have a large network and get to work with good people from both Vienna, Madrid and Sweden, he says.

Prestigious price

- Helse Vest's Young Researcher Award is important for promising young researchers who are in the process of developing their skills. It is a prestigious award, says professional director Bjørn Egil Vikse at Helse Vest RHF. 

Stem cell therapy is an important area of ​​research. Vikse sees great potential for the regeneration of bone defects, which the award winner has worked on. 

- Shanbhag has worked primarily in dental health, but we see potential in other areas as well. For example, stem cells are very central to both diabetes and cancer research. The award is a recognition of important work and can help build your career further. It is nice to recognize the enormous activity that has been done on very good work, says Vikse. 

Text: Tonje Pedersen