The second-year PhD student in oral biology at the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry is currently focused on interviewing non-dental primary care providers about their use of the Canadian Caries Risk Assessment Tool.

The tool was created by her supervisor, Dr. Bob Schroth, a professor of preventive dental science at UM’s dental school, to help doctors, daycare workers, dieticians and social workers identify whether a child under six years old is at risk of tooth decay.

Olatosi, who completed her dentistry degree and a master’s in public health at the University of Lagos in Nigeria, has been hearing positive feedback from the non-dental primary care providers she’s interviewed so far. She said they see the tool is needed because tooth decay is endemic in children in underserved communities, and they are happy that the tool is simple and easy to use.

UM Today sat down with Olatosi to learn about what motivates her and her experience as a PhD student at UM. 

What drew you to the field of oral biology?

My background is in pediatric dentistry and oral biology is the foundation for dentistry. Everything you do in dentistry starts with oral biology – from the cells to tooth decay, it’s all embedded in oral biology. I’ve always had a passion for promoting oral health care, especially to underserved populations.

You won the People’s Choice Award at this year’s UM Three Minute Thesis (3MT) final. What was it like to win and what did you learn from participating in the 3MT competition?

I’m glad I participated in 3MT because it helped give my research a platform. It helped give a voice to what I’m doing and what we’re doing in our lab. The head of my department, Dr. James Gilchrist, encouraged me to take part and said, ‘I think you can do this.’ I didn’t think I could. Participating in 3MT has motivated me to say, ‘There’s nothing you put your mind to that you cannot do.’ The format of the competition challenged me in an exciting manner and boosted my public speaking skills.   

You recently received $17,850 in funding from Research Manitoba for a project titled Exploring strategies for implementing a culturally informed caries risk assessment tool used by non-dental primary care providers for young First Nations and Métis children in Manitoba, Canada. What are your thoughts on receiving this funding?

It’s so amazing. One of the things I love about the University of Manitoba is that there are so many opportunities for scholarships and funding. There is so much support, and being an international student, this is going to go a long way for me. Apart from the Research Manitoba funding, I also received the University of Manitoba Graduate Student Association Award ($16,000) and the Canadian Health Measure Survey Oral Health Component Trainee award in 2022. These awards have given me a lot of motivation to continue to work hard.

What else motivates you to do the work you do?

I’ve always had a passion to care for children. It’s always been what I love to do. Children sometimes go through pain because of their teeth and parents may not know the severity of pain they’re going through. I want to raise awareness that this problem is preventable. Children don’t deserve to be in pain. We want kids to have a healthy smile for life.

Why did you choose UM for your PhD?

The type of research I was interested in doing is happening at the University of Manitoba, which is early childhood oral health. The University of Manitoba has one of the globally-renowned experts, Dr. Robert Schroth, who is well cited and highly visible in the scientific community. I was citing him before joining his lab when I was doing my master’s. I wanted to be trained by him.

What has been most rewarding during your time at UM?

Being part of 3MT and being voted the People’s Choice Award winner was really rewarding. Receiving the Research Manitoba award and being the recipient of the University of Manitoba Graduate Students Association Award was amazing. Also, It’s not only about academics. I’ve been involved in community work with the Healthy Smile Happy Child program. I’ve been going to schools and community events promoting child oral health and giving back to the community. Also, I currently serve as one of the event executives of the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences Women in Science: Development, Outreach and Mentorship (WISDOM) trainee program and that has been rewarding. I’m able to be part of this community and give back. I’m also currently the oral biology student councilor. There are a lot of platforms if you want to do something at UM.

What are your plans once you finish your PhD?

My plan is to remain in academia, research and continue to promote protocols and guidelines that will enable significant improvement in the prevention of dental caries for children, especially in underserved communities in Canada and globally. I wish to thank my supervisor Dr. Robert Schroth, Dr. James Gilchrist, Dr. Prashen Chelikani, Dr. Raj Bhullar, my advisory committee, Erin Langford, members of Schroth Lab and dean of the Dr. Gerald Niznick College of Dentistry Dr. Anastasia Kelekis-Cholakis for their continuous support.

This Q&A is part of a series on UM Today this summer featuring Rady Faculty of Health Sciences graduate students. You can find more grad student profiles here: #Radygradstudents.

The study by U of M’s Prashen Chelikani (oral biology) and Rotimi E. Aluko (human nutritional sciences) was published in the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The authors report that beef protein, when broken down into peptides, can block bitter taste receptors on the tongue. Such peptides could someday be used to make other foods and even medicines taste better.

According to Drs Aluko and Chelikani, “This is the first study to suggest food protein-derived peptides can block bitter taste receptors.”

Most people try to avoid bitter flavours because they find them to be unpleasant. But some healthful foods are bitter, as are some medications. So, the food and pharmaceutical industries have been looking at ways to reduce or eliminate bitter sensations, which are detected in humans by 25 receptors known as T2Rs. Only a few inhibitors of T2R activity have been identified so far.

In recent years, bioactive peptides created from breaking down food proteins, through a process known as enzymatic hydrolysis, have gained attention for reducing bitterness and inflammation. Because beef proteins have been shown to generate desirable flavour-promoting peptides, Chelikani, Aluko and colleagues wanted to see if these peptides could block bitter tastes.

The researchers hydrolyzed beef protein with six different enzymes: alcalase, chymotrypsin, trypsin, pepsin, flavourzyme and thermoase. Peptides produced from trypsin and pepsin digestion were the most effective in reducing the intensity of the bitterness of quinine in a test with an electronic tongue. These peptides were also the longest, which suggests that peptide size might play an important role. The group notes this could impact not only the food industry but the pharmaceutical industry as well.

The authors acknowledge funding from the Alberta Agriculture and Forestry and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

The Manitoba Chemosensory Biology Research Group (MCSB) launched this past summer with a focus on the emerging field of chemosensation. A diverse group of researchers is exploring molecular, chemical and sensory biology towards the discovery of novel molecules that can alter or modify human chemical senses. The potential for the group is enormous in what is seen as a burgeoning area of research.

“It is an up and coming area,” said Dr. Prashen Chelikani, director, MCSB group and graduate chair in the College of Dentistry’s department of oral biology. “The work we are doing is multi-disciplinary and fairly well focused. When it comes to taste chemosensation, we are the only group in Canada right now.”

The four thrust areas of MCSB – taste, bacterial chemosensation, signal transduction and clinical applications of the science – cover virtually all areas of the human chemosensory experience. Potential applications from their research run the gamut from the food industry to clinical applications in myriad areas of health care.

“Clinical, pharmacology, consumer products, all those areas,” Chelikani said. “We’re looking at research on taste receptor biology, taste disorders, food chemistry, novel taste blockers and taste modifiers.”

Comprised of eight scientists from diverse disciplines across the University of Manitoba, the group targets research grants that fit with their areas of expertise. For the past several years now and in collaboration with Dr. Rotimi Aluko (dept. of human nutritional sciences), Chelikani’s lab has focused on developing taste modifiers. This area has already drawn immense interest from the food industry.

The group’s work however, goes well beyond consumer products. Microbiologists Drs. Ayush Kumar and Kangmin Duan are investigating how bacteria communicate with each other and with a host cell, a major factor in bacterial infections.

“We want to understand the mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and virulence in bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa,” Kumar explained. “This organism is one of the most common pathogens causing lung infections in Cystic Fibrosis patients. Our role in the group is to understand how it may interact with the host defense mechanisms and if this interaction is linked to its antibiotic resistance.”

Collaborative research within MCSB is investigating the interactions between bacterial Acyl-Homoserine Lactones (AHL )signal molecules and human airway cells. The phenomenon that bitter taste receptors on lung epithelial cells serve as bacterial AHL receptors is being explored.

Dr. Robert Schroth, associate professor, Colleges of Dentistry, is interested in looking at the association between caries and taste in children and adolescents.

“This partnership will help to understand the role that taste may have in determining a child’s risk for developing caries (cavities), including early childhood caries,” he said.

To spur their research, members of the group review calls for research projects that dovetail into their respective areas of expertise. “When we apply for grants, we look at our own research and how we can mutually complement our expertise to strengthen the proposal,” Chelikani said, noting competition is often fierce for grant funding.

“The climate for peer–reviewed granting funding is very tough right now. You’re looking at 10 to 15 per cent success, depending on what you are applying for. In that scenario, collaboration is essential.”

Each member of the team has already enjoyed considerable success in their respective fields. The group is optimistic that banding together under the MCSB banner can better leverage future opportunities.

“We know we are focused and most of our principle investigators have good track records and significant, multi–year grants,” Chelikani said, adding it usually takes up to five years for a research group to determine how well it is performing. “The idea is for this group to become a Canadian Centre for Chemosensory Research down the road.”

The new multi-disciplinary Manitoba Chemosensory Biology Research Group builds on the College of Dentistry’s successful International Centre for Oral-Systemic Health (ICOSH), launched in 2008, and also envisioned as a nucleus for collaboration and innovation.

“ICOSH has received multiple international awards and recognition along with substantial government and private funding so we already know this model works.  Dr. Chelikani is uniquely qualified to lead this new group and I have no doubt that it will be extremely successful,” said Dr. Anthony M. Iacopino, Dean, College of Dentistry, Faculty of Health Sciences.