This week at Augusta University, researchers take on gum disease with the help of a new grant and Wycliffe Gordon joins the Canadian Brass in concert to spread holiday cheer.

Grammy-winning brass group comes to Maxwell Theatre

Maxwell Theatre is hosting the Canadian Brass Holiday Concert at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 30. This will be the first live music event that the Harry Jacobs Chamber Music Society and Lyceum Series have hosted in nearly two years. “Although the COVID era has led our group in interesting creative directions, it’s always the live sharing of music that rests at the center of our motivation and excitement. Getting back into concert halls along with our longtime friends is about as good as it gets,” said Cordelia Roberts, representative for Canadian Brass. Award-winning trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, director of jazz studies at Augusta University, will join the concert as a special guest. “I know the quality of the music and the quality of the performance that’s expected of them, so I’m happy to interact with them,” said Gordon. The concert is open to the public. Purchase tickets here.

Battling gum infection is the focus of a new grant

The Dental College of Georgia professor and chair of the Department of Periodontics, Dr. Christopher W. Cutler, has been awarded a five-year, $1.8 million grant from the National Institute of Health/National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Periodontitis is a severe gum infection that can lead to tooth loss and other serious health complications. With his research, Cutler hopes to find ways that antigen-producing cells derived from a patient’s blood can be trained to reprogram the body’s natural immune defense when fighting infection.

“We’re trying to dampen the body’s immune response, because that is what it actually causing the disease,” said Cutler. “Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease, like rheumatoid arthritis.”

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