Competence Center Oral Biology | Research Teams | Research at the School of Dentistry Vienna

Research

The Competence Center Oral Biology is involved in dental research and training. The work is carried out by an interdisciplinary team that collaborates nationally and internationally with universities and industries.

Our laboratory is dedicated to developing practical therapeutic strategies in regenerative dentistry. We use cell biology methods, preclinical models, and clinical studies to focus on the healing of biomaterials, particularly in the fields of dental implantology and periodontology. Our research aims to elucidate the molecular and cellular mechanisms of oral wound healing and bone regeneration in healthy and diseased patients, offering hope for improved treatments in the future.

Applied Methods

Our methods include essential in vitro cell culture techniques focusing on oral and bone cells such as periodontal fibroblasts, osteoblasts, osteoclasts, macrophages and epithelial cells. Based on a broad spectrum of methods to determine signaling and gene expression, we test cells' responses to various damaged cells, biomaterials, bone grafts, and bioactive molecules of natural and synthetic origin. Our portfolio includes preclinical models with a focus on bone regeneration. In addition, we investigate the skull and tooth anatomy of mouse models using computed tomography and histology.

Our Research Team

Dr. nat. techn. Reinhard Gruber

Head of Competence Center Oral Biology

T: +43 (0)699 10718472
E: reinhard.gruber@meduniwien.ac.at

ORCID: 0000-0001-5400-9009

University Clinic of Dentistry
Medical University of Vienna
Sensengasse 2a,
A-1090 Vienna
Austria

Vita Dr. Reinhard Gruber

Reinhard Gruber received his doctorate from Vienna's University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences. After a post-doctoral appointment in Rheumatology, he joined the Department of Oral Surgery at the Medical University of Vienna in 1999. He was vice director of the curriculum dentistry and coordinator of the Doctoral Program "Bone and Joint Regeneration". He was a visiting scientist at the Bone Tissue Engineering Center at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and the University of Michigan's Dental School. From 2012 to 2015, Reinhard Gruber was head of the Laboratory of Oral Cell Biology at the School of Dental Medicine, University of Bern, where he still holds an affiliation. In October 2014, he became a Full Professor of Oral Biology at the Medical University of Vienna. He is an associate editor of COIR and is on other editorial boards. He is an Honorary Board Member of the Osteology Foundation and serves the ITI Research Committee. His laboratory uses fundamental cell biology, preclinical models, and clinical trials to develop causal therapeutic strategies in regenerative dentistry. http://www.scopus.com (Author ID: 7102883530)

Priv.-Doz. DDr. Layla Panahipour

Deputy Head of Competence Center Oral Biology

T: +43 (0)1 40070-5202
E: layla.panahipour@meduniwien.ac.at

ORCID: 0000-0003-3557-3493

Vita Dr. Layla Panahipour

Layla Panahipour earned her Doctorate in Dentistry from Tehran, Iran, in 2003. After extensive clinical practice, she pursued a doctoral program in "Bone and Joint Regeneration" at the Medical University of Vienna. Her research specializes in biomaterials and the role of inflammation in dentistry. She completed her habilitation in 2022 and is currently the Deputy Head of CC Oral Biology at the University Clinic of Dentistry. http://www.scopus.com (Author ID: 57202990655)