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Researchers from the Department of Dentistry at the Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové, Charles University, and the University Hospital Hradec Králové are developing new medicinal products as part of the DentHya project and in collaboration with Contipro to help patients treat various oral diseases. The project was presented in an interview by Professor Jakub Suchánek, head of the research team at the Department of Dentistry.

In today’s interview, we’ll be introducing the DentHya project, which you’re working on at the Department of Dentistry of the Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové, Charles University, and the University Hospital in Hradec Králové. What does this project mean for the public and for you as the head of the research team?

I suppose I should start by saying that this is a joint project between the Department of Dentistry of the Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové, Charles University, and the University Hospital Hradec Králové, along with Contipro as a private partner and grant recipient. It is the culmination of a long-term collaboration. We have been working with Contipro since 2009 or 2010, so this project represents a natural continuation and the fruition of the joint work we have built up over the years. The basic idea behind the project is to develop new medicinal products that would help patients in the treatment of various oral diseases. Contipro is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of hyaluronan, which is why all the products being developed are based on hyaluronic acid, its modifications, and its optimization for use in the oral cavity. This is the main goal of the project and, at the same time, what should bring tangible benefits to patients in a relatively short period of time.

Why is hyaluronic acid particularly suitable?

In the oral cavity, healing is based primarily on the fact that the mucosa—that is, the soft tissues—must heal first, followed by the bone, which is, for example, part of an extraction wound. Hyaluronic acid has a very positive effect on mucosal healing. It accelerates the healing process while regulating the intensity of the body’s inflammatory response. In addition, we often combine it with other substances that help disinfect the wound and limit bacterial growth. Bacteria are naturally present in the oral cavity, so their complete elimination is neither possible nor desirable. Hyaluronic acid thus serves not only as a substance that promotes healing but also as a carrier for other active ingredients. Furthermore, it is naturally present in the body, is fully absorbable, and exhibits anti-inflammatory effects. This is another reason why we chose this particular substance and decided to collaborate with Contipro.

As a layperson, the easiest way for me to imagine this is in the context of a tooth extraction. Once the research is complete, will I go to the dentist’s office, have the tooth removed, and then undergo this new procedure?

Exactly. In this project, we’re developing several products—three different formulations. One main area focuses on the healing of extraction wounds. If a patient is taking medications that complicate healing, or if there are other risk factors, a special swab or gel is inserted into the wound, where it remains to create an environment conducive to faster coverage of the wound by mucous membrane. Today, wounds heal as cells gradually grow over the edges, which prolongs the entire process. Our goal is to speed up and facilitate this process. The second area concerns the treatment of maxillary sinus inflammation. The roots of the upper molars are very close to the maxillary sinus, and sometimes, when these teeth are extracted, a connection can form between the oral cavity and the maxillary sinus. The patient may then experience difficulties, for example, when drinking, as fluid enters the nose. If this problem is not recognized and treated in time, inflammation may develop. This often requires surgery under general anesthesia and a hospital stay of several days. One of the products currently under development is intended to enable the treatment of these complications without the need for hospitalization or surgery under general anesthesia. This would significantly improve patient comfort.

The project began last fall and will run through 2028. What exactly are you working on right now? What does a typical day look like for someone on the research team?

It depends, of course, on the specific role within the team. About ten people at the department are involved in the project. We’ve formed several smaller working groups, each of which focuses on a different preparation. In addition to their regular duties related to teaching and patient care, the project’s management team meets regularly—about once every two weeks—to evaluate the current status of the work. The leaders of the individual groups coordinate the students—primarily Ph.D. students, though undergraduate students can also participate. Currently, we are also working regularly in the vivarium, where we create injury models in animal models. The goal is to verify the functionality of the preparations under development before they are used on patients.

In your opinion, what direction should the project take next?

The outcome should be three new formulations for the treatment of various oral diseases. At the same time, we expect a series of scholarly publications that are important for the development of both the faculty and the hospital from an academic standpoint. Collaboration with the private sector is also very important. It’s still not entirely common in the Czech Republic, but it’s precisely this collaboration that helps translate research results into practice. It’s one thing to do science for science’s sake and study something that stays in the lab. It’s another thing entirely to develop solutions that will actually help patients. And that is our greatest motivation here at the department.

Is that precisely because results could come in a relatively foreseeable timeframe?

Yes. We’ve already developed one drug in collaboration with Contipro, so we know how the entire process works. If we succeed in finding a suitable solution, it usually takes about five to six years from development to market launch. If the project concludes in 2028 and we achieve the expected results, the first products could be available around 2031 to 2032, at least on the Czech market. Of course, launching a new product on a global scale is more challenging, but we’re definitely not talking about a timeframe of several decades.

To summarize the entire process – did you start in the lab, and are you now in the phase of testing on animal models?

At the very beginning, we worked with the company to define the problems we wanted to address in dentistry. We then looked for the right form for the preparations—whether it should be a gel or a solid material, what properties it should have, and what active ingredients it should contain. The first few months of the project were mainly about intensive discussions and setting parameters. We now have a fairly clear idea of what the final products should look like. Researchers at Contipro are working on their development, and in the meantime, we’re creating and validating disease models on which we’ll test their efficacy. Once the formulations are ready, we’ll be able to verify whether they actually work as expected and whether they can move on to the next stages of development.

To conclude, I’d like to ask a slightly more general question. In your opinion, what do projects like this contribute not only to the research itself, but also to the region and to Czech medicine as a whole?

I consider pooling resources within the region to be the most important aspect. When institutions and companies that are geographically close to one another collaborate, communication is easier, and face-to-face meetings can significantly accelerate the entire research process. Harnessing regional potential is particularly important for the Czech Republic. Research cannot proceed without investment and support, and it requires long-term funding. Of course, not all drugs under development will be successful. However, if two out of three products under development were successfully completed, that would be a very significant result for medicine. In research, we never have 100% certainty. We can anticipate a certain effect, but the definitive answer comes only from departmental practice, which is sometimes different from what we imagine in the laboratory.

Author: Radka Tobolková, Head of Public Affairs and Communications Department