he salivary glands bathe the mouth with a multifunctional liquid that aids in digestion, swallowing, and protecting the teeth against harmful bacteria. However, salivary glands can be irreparably damaged by diseases such as Sjögren's syndrome, or by radiation treatment for head and neck cancers. NIDCR scientists have taken two basic approaches to overcoming this problem:
1) using gene therapy methodologies to repair damaged glands, or 2) replacing lost glands with a bioartificial salivary gland. Success in the first area has been achieved using adenoviral-mediated transfer of a human water channel gene into irradiated rat salivary glands. Work on the second approach also looks very promising. In a collaborative project with scientists at the University of Michigan, NIDCR scientists are working to develop an implantable tube made of a biodegradable matrix that is lined with genetically engineered cells capable of secreting uid, salts, and protein. The normal, intact salivary gland consists of saliva-producing acinar cells that are separated from the passages leading to the mouth by a layer of ductal cells. The first generation artificial gland will be seeded with an established cell line, consisting of ductal epithelial cells derived from an irradiated human submandibular gland. The cells will be engineered to carry out normal uid production of acinar cells, and can also be genetically modified to produce antimicrobial proteins and hormones. The ultimate goal is to use a patient's own salivary cells to seed the tubular scaffold.

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