UCLA Research on Human Virome Featured as JADA Cover Story
NIH-funded center at the School of Dentistry explores how viruses across the oral-gut-brain axis could shape the future of oral and overall health
The October cover story of The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA), authored by UCLA School of Dentistry researchers, explores how the trillions of viruses living within the human body may influence oral and overall health. Oral Virome in Health and Disease examines emerging research on the human virome across the oral-gut-brain axis and what these connections could mean for the future of dentistry.
The article highlights research underway at UCLA’s Human Virome Characterization Center, established through a $20.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health; it’s the largest NIH grant ever awarded to the School of Dentistry. UCLA is home to one of five such centers nationwide and the only one headquartered at a dental school. Led by Yvonne Hernandez-Kapila, D.D.S., Ph.D., the center is working to define the healthy human virome and understand its connections to disease, with potential implications for prevention, early detection and precision health.
One key takeaway from Oral Virome in Health and Disease is that not all viruses are harmful: many are normal residents of the human body, where they interact with our cells, bacteria and other microorganisms in ways researchers are only beginning to understand. By learning what a healthy oral virome looks like — and how it changes with disease — researchers may eventually be able to use viral patterns to help identify health risks and develop more personalized approaches to prevention and care.
Read the full story in ADA News
