Researcher Who Studied Dental Use of Propolis Wins Award

Work on Microbes Earns Honors for Two Dental Researchers
University of Rochester Medical Center, 1/17/06

Two University of Rochester Medical Center scientists who study ways to stop the microbes that cause cavities have been awarded international prizes for their research.

Oral biologist Hyun (Michel) Koo, D.D.S., Ph.D., and microbiologist Robert Marquis, Ph.D., both researchers in the Center for Oral Biology, will receive Distinguished Scientist Awards at a meeting in Australia in June of the International Association of Dental Research, the largest organization of dental researchers in the world. The awards recognize outstanding and innovative achievement in dental research worldwide. . .

Koo is a dentist who became interested in food science and has used his knowledge of both fields to try to stop bacteria like Streptococcus mutans that cause cavities. Such bacteria munch on the sugars that we eat and then secrete acids that dig holes in our teeth. Koo, who has been honored four times previously by IADR and has been with the University since 1999, seeks to identify specific compounds in foods and other natural products that help prevent cavities. He has identified compounds in propolis, a sticky substance made by honeybees to protect their hives, that inhibit the activity of a key enzyme that forms dental plaque. . .