23
Volume1 Issue7
|
I
ssues and
P
eople
Revealing the
SECRETSOFSALIVA
CDA:
What is the focusof your research?
Dr.WalterSiqueira:
I’m trying to
identifybiomarkers in saliva todetermine
one’s vulnerability to several oral and
systemicdiseases, and I’m trying toprevent
oral diseaseusingmodified salivaryproteins.
CDA:
Whatmadeyou leaveBoston
University to joinWesternUniversity?
WS:
The support researchers receive in
Canada. This countryhas auniqueprogram,
theCanadianFoundation for Innovation (CFI),
whichhelps settingup research laboratories.
Thanks toCFI,wehaveamass spectrometer
dedicated solely toour researchpurposes.
Only inCanadadid I have thisopportunity.
When I first visitedLondon, Iwas amazedby
theuniversity’s infrastructureandpeople’s
collegiality. I knew itwas agoodplace to
settledown. I’venever regrettedmoving.
CDA:
Why is saliva research sopromising?
WS:
Everythingwecandetect in serum,
wecandetect in saliva. Technologyused to
beour limiting factor but now,withmass
spectrometersbeing so sensitive,we’re
able to identify salivarybiomarkers. On
topof being timeandcost efficient, saliva
collection isn’t an invasiveprodecureand
Thanks toa5-minute procedure, dentists couldbe
involved in the earlydetection of several diseases.
Thatwould put dentistswherewe need to be—
key players in our patients’ overall health.
Dr.WalterSiqueira is associateprofessor indentistryandbiochemistryat theSchulichSchool ofMedicine&Dentistry.
He is also theprincipal investigatorat the onlyCanadian research laboratorydedicated solely to saliva research.CDA
discussed the importance of salivaas bothadiagnosticand therapeuticfluidwithDr. Siqueira.
doesn’t need tobeperformedbyhighly
trainedprofessionals—youonlyneed to spit
ina tube.
CDA:
Howdoyou think theuseof saliva
asadiagnosticfluidwill changedentistry?
WS:
I thinkdentistswillworkmoreclosely
withphysicians tohelpdiagnose systemic
conditions. A salivaprofile is likeafingerprint
of one’shealth status: it shows their
vulnerabilitynot only todental diseasebut
alsomanyother conditions, suchas lung
cancer, renal diseaseandDengueFever.
Thanks toa5-minuteprocedure, dentists
couldbe involved in theearlydetectionof
several diseases. Thatwouldput dentists
whereweneed tobe— keyplayers inour
patients’ overall health.
CDA:
Howclosearewe tousing salivaas
adiagnosticfluid?
WS:
We’renot closeenough, becauseeach
diseaseneeds tobe studied separately. That
said,wecannowbuy saliva-basedHIV test
kits indrugstores in theUnitedStates.
My laboratory isworkingwith researchers
from theBostonMedical Center on
pulmonarydiseasedetection, including
asthma. So far, 10 salivarybiomarkershave
been identified topredict theexacerbation
of asthmaover a 24–48hour period.
WalterSiqueira
DDS,PhD
