Justin Kaspar: Dental Detective
What’s the cause? How does it work? Who/What is responsible? These are some of the questions that—like detectives—scientists routinely explore. They are questions that intrigued Assistant Professor Justin Kaspar, Ph.D., at an early age, and they drive his current research into the mysteries of the human mouth.
Growing up in Blessing, Texas, Dr. Kaspar was first attracted to science while hearing about his father’s work in a nearby nuclear power plant. His favorite courses in school were biology and chemistry. That early interest led to an undergraduate biology major at Texas A&M. “During my sophomore year, I fell in love with molecular cell biology,” he said. “I learned that microbes are great tools for uncovering a lot of life’s more complex processes.” That’s when he began to focus on microbiology, at first planning to attend medical school. But once he began doing research, he reconsidered his career path. As a volunteer in a research lab, his excitement at discovering a bacteriophage gene that had never been seen before got him hooked on research. He decided to pursue graduate work at the University of Florida in biomedical sciences, focusing on microbiology and immunology.
With a new Ph.D. in his pocket, the next decision was whether to take a job in biomedical industry or pursue an academic career. The biotech company he considered working for went bankrupt, reminding Dr. Kaspar that commercial companies are less stable than academic research labs, and that, in commercial labs, research project parameters are dictated by the company.
THE PERPETRATOR: BACTERIA
In 2020, Dr. Kaspar joined the College of Dentistry faculty. Recently a recipient of a $326,972 R03 grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), he seeks to understand the interactions of the hundreds of “good” and “bad” bacteria in the oral cavity as they affect tooth decay. He says we already know how to limit decay: cutting sugar consumption and engaging in frequent brushing/cleaning. Still, the rate of tooth decay has remained stable for the last 30 years. Why? “Modifying human behavior is difficult,” Dr. Kaspar explained.
“For a long time, it was thought that all oral bacteria are harmful, so almost every oral healthcare product on the market takes the approach of eliminating everything. Over the past couple of decades, we have taken a more ecological view of the problem. We know there are several bad actors or specific microbial species that actually cause the problems, and that the rest of the oral bacteria are not necessarily harmful and may even promote oral health.”
Although progress has been made, a complete cure or prevention has eluded researchers because of the complexity of its causes. It’s a quest that leads Dr. Kaspar and his team to explore strategies that affect only the harmful oral bacteria. “We study how harmful bacteria interact with non-harmful ones, something that has been understudied in the oral cavity,” he explained. “By discovering how these processes work mechanistically, we hope to shift the scale so that the harmful bacteria lose the interaction and can’t grow, thus eliminating the start of potential decay.”
TRAINING FOR TOMORROW
One part of his work that Dr. Kaspar especially enjoys is mentoring students. He has trained 28 students in the last five years, including dental students, undergraduates and one high school student in Columbus’ Metro School Early College program.
“For me, the most rewarding part of mentoring is watching students who thought at first that they didn’t belong in a research setting come to realize that they can be successful there,” Dr. Kaspar said. “I had the same experience as an undergraduate, and even when I started Ph.D. training. I thought that I wasn’t smart enough or good enough to be conducting high-level research at a major university. Slowly, over time, you begin to gain confidence and understand that, with hard work and dedication, you can be as successful as anybody else and make meaningful contributions.”
He sees that same experience play out with new students coming into the lab. “On the first day, they’re nervous and unsure if they should be there or not, but within six months or a year, they’re excelling in their projects and recognize that they do belong. Then, they get more validation when they publish a research manuscript or present at a conference.”
Several members of Dr. Kaspar’s lab presented at conferences and won awards this year. One of the twelve who presented at the College of Dentistry’s Research Day is Nicole Fleming, who won the Alumni Research Achievement Award. “When I joined Dr. Kaspar’s team, he was extremely understanding of the rigor of the courses I was taking and my need for schedule flexibility,” she said. “He patiently gave me the hands-on microbiology lab training I had missed during Covid. I could not have succeeded without Dr. Kaspar’s help.”
Another dental student, Robbie Bettinger, won the Alumni Merit Research Award this year. He credits Dr. Kaspar’s mentorship and teaching with publication of the Kaspar Lab’s first research paper in the Journal of Dental Research based solely on the work of undergraduates. “Very few professors would take the time to invest in the development of young students, let alone allow us to play such an integral role in the research,” he said. “I’m amazed at his ability to juggle five to ten different student projects and be able to support and answer questions on every one. Dr. Kaspar has an exceptional ability to mentor and develop students, both academically and professionally, no matter where they are starting.”
Dr. Kaspar couldn’t be prouder of the students. “When they leave the lab to attend dental school or spend more time in the clinic, hearing that taking part in research and being in the lab has been one of their most rewarding experiences at Ohio State is a bigger achievement for me than a newly published manuscript or a new research grant. It’s a motivator to keep me doing research.”