Samantha Wuebker, a T90 trainee in the Iowa Institute for Oral Health Research and a PhD student in Cell and Developmental Biology program, was awarded an F31 grant.
An F31 award is a training grant for mentored dissertation research. This award will support Wuebker’s study investigating the molecular mechanisms that regulate enamel formation and contribute to enamel disorders.
Amelogenesis imperfecta is a rare genetic condition that affects approximately 1 in 15,000 children in the United States and results in enamel that is prone to rapid wear, breakage, and functional impairment. While amelogenesis imperfecta has a clear clinical impact, the underlying genetic causes remain incompletely understood, with nearly half of cases lacking an identified genetic explanation.
Drawing from research in the laboratory of her mentor, Eric Van Otterloo, Wuebker is investigating the role of Mediator of Cell Motility 1 (MEMO1), a protein recently identified as an important contributor to enamel development. Prior work has shown that loss of MEMO1 in oral tissues results in enamel defects that closely resemble those observed in patients with this condition.
Wuebker’s dissertation project will address key unanswered questions regarding when and where MEMO1 functions during enamel formation and how it regulates the activity of ameloblasts, the cells responsible for producing enamel. To accomplish this, she will use a combination of conditional mouse models, advanced imaging, and single cell RNA sequencing to define the spatial and temporal dynamics of MEMO1 and its role in cellular signaling pathways.
By improving understanding of the biological pathways that govern enamel development, this research may contribute to future diagnostic tools and regenerative therapies for enamel disorders.
This project is the eighth NIH training grant that R90/T90 students have secured since the training grant was refunded in 2018, and the second since the training grant was refunded in 2023. Past trainees who received NIH training grants include Aline Petrin (K01), Jennifer Sukalski (F31), Matthew Remy (F31), Jason Semprini (F31), Tim Nguyen (F31), Mason Sweat (F32), and Rachel Fitzjerrells (F31).
Wuebker’s mentor is Eric Van Otterloo, associate professor of periodontics.