Gill Diamond, PhD, Professor in the Department of Oral Immunology and Infectious Diseases at the UofL School of Dentistry, has been awarded a National Institutes of Health R01 Grant to study topical vitamin D and periodontal disease.

In this research, Dr. Diamond and his colleagues will study applying vitamin D to the gums. “We hope this will lead to a treatment or a preventative therapy for periodontal disease that could even be done at home, since vitamin D is a safe and inexpensive agent,” says Dr. Diamond.

The project, which is being funded by the National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research, is expected to continue through March 2026. The majority of the research will take place in Dr. Diamond’s lab at ULSD. The grant also includes three sub-awards for research taking place in other universities.  

Dr. Diamond also received a grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) recently. This grant, titled “Antimicrobial Peptide Mimetic Activity Against Candida auris” will be used to examine the activity of novel antimicrobial agents against this newly emerged fungal pathogen, with an eye toward developing them as a new type of antifungal drugs.

Dr. Gill Diamond (right) reviews laboratory data with Research Technician Erika Figgins

July 26, 2021