Regenerating tissue with the help of stem cells

Private lecturer Dr. Susanne Proksch, Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology at the Medical Center - University of Freiburg, will receive the 10,000 euro Mathilde Wagner Prize. In her habilitation she examined how stem cells from bone marrow from which bone and cartilage can develop, can be used to regenerate tissue such as the periodontium or the dental pulp, the so-called nerve. For this purpose she has examined how stem cells from bone marrow behave in a test tube when external factors influence them and how they interact with the periodontium and cells from the jawbone. The new insights about the cells’ behavior should serve first and foremost to find new treatment options for patients in which stem cells are introduced to the inflamed periodontium affected by gum disease. It would then be possible to retain teeth longer instead of using dental replacement. Besides the development of new tissue replacement materials is possible for treating tooth defects.

The Equal Opportunity Office at the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Freiburg has granted the Mathilde Wagner Prize for exceptional post-doctoral theses to women researchers in the faculty since 2014. Mathilde Wagner, the person after which the prize has been named, was the first woman in Freiburg to pursue her PhD in medicine as a properly enrolled student in 1901, thereby making her one of the first woman doctors in Germany. Three conditions have to be fulfilled for the prize to be awarded: publication in high-ranking scientific journals, excellent scientific achievements and a focus in the habilitation on current scientific questions in basic research in pre-clinical, clinical or applied research. The prize money can be used for equipment, staff or investments.


Contact:
Private lecturer Dr. Susanne Proksch
Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology
Medical Center - University of Freiburg
Tel.: 0761/270-48430
E-Mail: susanne.proksch@uniklinik-freiburg.de