The University of Sheffield is celebrating a major milestone after Vitor C. M. Neves, Senior Clinical Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Periodontology Translational and Regenerative Dentistry, was awarded a £1.39 million New Investigator Award from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the first time the University’s School of Clinical Dentistry has received this highly competitive grant.
The BBSRC New Investigator Award is designed to support outstanding early career researchers in establishing themselves as independent investigators. The scheme provides vital funding to launch ambitious research programmes, employ postdoctoral staff, and foster the development of new principal investigators through training and networking opportunities.
Vitor’s proposal stood out among 93 submissions, being recognised as international quality and graded as “Excellent” by the funders. Reviewers praised both the science and the Vitor’s potential, writing: “The applicant has excellent potential to be a star in their field, and this project would facilitate their development.”
The award will fund Vitor’s pioneering research into the Notch signalling pathway, a fundamental genetic mechanism that influences how stem cells make decisions about growth, repair, and regeneration.
His team will investigate the role of infections and inflammation on cells that express a gene called Notch. The Notch signaling is a fundamental biological pathway that regulates cell choices and directions, tissue homeostasis, and regeneration across diverse tissues. However, it plays a double role: in some cases it supports healing, while in others it can make disease worse. This project will explore how Notch behaves in periodontal disease and oral inflammation, with the aim of developing new treatments that work with the body’s biology to improve oral health.
To be a clinician researcher is no easy task, and dentists undertaking basic biology research in the UK are a dying breed. To have the support of the BBSRC with such an incredible grant shows that the research community is committed to ensuring dentistry continues to focus on biology. With this support, I am proud to represent that movement, pushing dentistry forward, inspiring the next generation, and keeping biology at the heart of our field.”
Vitor C. M. Neves
Senior Clinical Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Periodontology Translational and Regenerative Dentistry
The grant also cements his position as an independent stem cell biologist and provides the resources to expand his team, supporting both laboratory discovery and translational opportunities.
Vitor’s research career has been shaped by persistence and global experience. He began his studies in Brazil, where his passion for stem cell research emerged during his BDS degree. Despite limited local expertise, he commuted six hours daily to pursue training opportunities, later securing a master’s and PhD at King’s College London.
His PhD research on dental pulp stem cells attracted worldwide attention, with findings that could transform how tooth decay is treated, potentially replacing fillings altogether. Following a NIHR Clinical Lectureship at King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Trust, he developed two innovative research strands: cell differentiation in oral disease, and the effects of ageing and metabolism on oral health. His work earned him the 2022 Sir Wilfred Fish Prize and the Royal College of Surgeons Pump Priming Grant.
In 2024, he joined the University of Sheffield as Senior Clinical Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in Periodontology, leading a lab focusing on Translational and Regenerative Dentistry, and became an affiliate of the Healthy Lifespan Institute (HELSI).
The award is a landmark for the University. It marks the first ever BBSRC New Investigator Award granted to Sheffield’s School of Clinical Dentistry, underlining its growing reputation for world-class translational research in oral biology and regenerative medicine.