Dr. Frank Oppenheim
“Whole Saliva: Dumpster or Treasure Trove,” was the title of a keynote address given by Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) Professor in the Departments of Periodontology and Molecular & Cell Biology and Henry M. Goldman Distinguished Scientist Dr. Frank Oppenheim. The address was given at the first annual North American Saliva Symposium, hosted by Tufts University School of Dental Medicine on October 26, 2014.
The symposium invited researchers, dentists, physicians and diagnostic manufacturers from across the country to discuss and learn about advances in the field of salivary research. The symposium consisted of three keynote speakers, a poster session, and separate sessions on saliva in the context of dentistry, medicine, pediatrics and industry.
Dr. Oppenheim was invited to give the final keynote address. His presentation discussed his novel research on the usefulness of whole saliva as a diagnostic tool for systemic disease. Whole saliva, Dr. Oppenheim explains, is salivary fluid which has been mixed with other substances found in the oral cavity, such as bacteria, enzymes, epithelial and white blood cells, and gingival fluid. Dr. Oppenheim has found that patient-derived whole saliva samples contain important biomarkers which can be used to identify and monitor the severity of various diseases. This discovery has great implications for developing methods of affordable, accessible, and non-invasive diagnostic testing, and could be offered to patients as an alternative to giving blood samples.
Dr. Oppenheim has been working in collaboration with a team of interdisciplinary researchers including Professor of Chemistry at Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences Dr. David Walt, a fellow keynote speaker at the event. These investigators have developed a miniaturized point-of-care device which will allow clinicians to diagnose and monitor patients using only microliter amounts of saliva. This novel device was discussed in Dr. Walt’s presentation, “Systemic Disease Detection with a Novel Point of Care Device.”
One obstacle to using whole saliva as a diagnostic tool is the difficulty of properly handling and storing the saliva. Whole saliva contains protease—enzymes which break down the cytokines in salivary fluid. Cytokines are molecular messengers which are present in the body when fighting an infection and are indicative of disease. If whole saliva is improperly collected and stored, ongoing proteolysis in the fluid may cause these important molecular biomarkers to be broken down, making them undetectable. A major concern for clinicians using saliva as a diagnostic tool is the dependency on preventing degradation after collection by using appropriate methods for stabilization such as collecting on ice and storing at -80ocelcius. While whole saliva offers numerous attractive benefits as an alternative to blood sample collection, Dr. Oppenheim warns that it is also susceptible to instability as a diagnostic indicator. He is, however, optimistic about improving and standardizing methods to improve the reliability of salivary biomarker exploitation.
“I am so pleased that Dr. Oppenheim was selected as the keynote speaker at this prestigious symposium,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter. “His research in the field of saliva is very important and I am excited about the potential diagnostic implications of his findings.”