Researchers at the Tokyo University of Science have successfully transplanted a bioengineered tooth into the mouth of an adult mouse.
Takashi Tsuji
Researchers are finding ways to use stem cells to regrow teeth--a potentially easier and healthier alternative to dentures and dental implants.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the average American will lose about eight teeth by the time he or she turns 50. Common replacements include dentures, which have been known to erode the underlying bone over time, and dental implants, which are prone to falling out after several years' use. Thus, the ability to regrow a natural tooth, with the accompanying bone, root, and nerves, could provide a significantly healthier alternative for many.
Recently, a Japanese team from the Tokyo University of Science, led by associate professor Takashi Tsuji, reported in Nature Methods that it had successfully regrown a tooth from cells extracted from mouse embryos. The researchers were able to transplant the tooth into an adult mouse, and the tooth bud continued to grow to full size.
Teeth in mice, much like those in humans, form during embryonic development from two major cell types: epithelial and mesenchymal. Epithelial cells give rise to the outer enamel, while mesenchymal cells form a tooth's inner connective tissue and blood vessels. Takashi's team isolated both kinds of cells from multiple mouse embryos, then transferred them to a collagen gel culture, in which the cells interacted to form a tooth bud. Researchers then transplanted the bud into the liver of an adult mouse, where the increased blood supply aided further tooth formation. Finally, Takashi inserted the tooth into an empty cavity within the mouse's mouth, in which it grew to full size.
Whether the technique will be practical for regrowing teeth is uncertain. Paul Sharpe, head of the Craniofacial Development Department at King's College, in London, doubts that the technique will be useful for humans, particularly since the Tokyo team used embryonic cells, which are difficult to obtain in large numbers and may be rejected as a foreign substance when transplanted into a human adult.
A better approach, Sharpe suggests, may be to use adult stem cells, which can be obtained from a patient's hair, skin, or other tissue; manipulated with the right molecular cues to form any kind of tissue; then transplanted back into the same person with less rejection problems.. Sharpe's lab is looking for adult stem cells, including those found in bone marrow and dental gum, as possible candidates for regrowing teeth. So far, he and his colleagues have had success with bone-marrow stem cells, forming teeth and transplanting them into mouse cavities. However, Sharpe says that obtaining such cells from human bone marrow is a painful process. In the next three years, he hopes to identify more-accessible stem cells that may be able to form not only teeth, but also--and more important--roots.
A chemical-infused scaffold generates new tissue by attracting stem cells.
Guest (stuka)
It's ALIVE!!!Oh, my gosh,someone had already said it. By 2050 we may advance to the spine.Thank You.
Sign me up! I realize there are Sci-fi movies that end badly that start with this premise, but if I could re-grow parts that I've broken over the years...
I'd actually be interested in enough to volunteer for the trials, but I'm guessing those are going to happen where the scientists are as opposed to where I am...sigh.
If they can grow the nerves then hopefully that will be the nerve tissue breakthrough to grow other types of nerves (backs arms leg)!!!
Some say we've grown too much nerve but not like this!!
Naysayers feel powerfull and smart by shooting their mouths off and trying to shoot down things they do not even attempt. Hell with them. But some people are actually born with extra tooth buds, and grow them, or even replace them, well into adulthood. I think some research into that might help a lot. Certainly being able to regrow teeth would be a major health benefit--and a great step into adult stem cell research.
att, paul sharpe, i, heard you were going to start trials in 2007. i, have all cap teeth and bridge work in my mouth. i, would like you to respond to me albout any possible trials this year. gary holsten holsten444@hotmail.com
While you are at it, why not apply the art of growing teeth like sharks?
You do not have to pull it, and when you do, it grows back. Problems solved?!
Sharks grow new teeth all the time. They have tooth like scales and skeletons made of cartilage.
Sharks may hold more answers for many problems, not just for teeth but for restoring damaged knees as well.
Of course it would take a bit longer to 'Think' it over/out/research.
Well, sharks might pose a bit of a problem, seeing as how they're a form of reptile; but P. Smurf, I like where you're going with that.
Hell, I may be wrong in any case.
att,paul sharpe,do you have any ideal yet when you will take patients for trials gary holsten
Me too. Can't afford dental insurance, love to get in on a trial where my teeth can be re-grown.
Did anyone get back to you about participating in a trial to regrow teeth?
I would be interested in trials too...not only do i have a missing tooth, i have a missing little toe from an accident... be great to have both back :)...
I would love to be considered in the research. I have no teeth and desperate for help. Thanks
I would love to be a research patient. Please contact me with more details - attila_kovacs_ace@yahoo.com
Thank you.
Do we ever say thank you to all the mice that suffer and die because humans want to live longer?
Does it hurt the mice when you fiddle with their livers and other body parts?
Do you hear a sound when you extract their bone marrow or is their sound mute because of the pain?
While it would be wonderful to grow another set of teeth at the age of 25 the energy involved to produce this result is enormous.
Does anyone ever think about that?
While brushing, flossing and every 6 months professional cleaning does keep your teeth healthy without the input of mice till you reach 120 years old. Of course you've got to have the discipline and take on this assignment as early as age three.
A special thanks to all the mice and animals suffering and dying for the comfort of the humans who do not even say thank you.
Really! Mice are seen as disposable creatures. Nobody ever gives any thank you to their sufferings behind laboratory doors. They are seen as objects to be used, manipulated, and then discarded like garbage. Sometimes the information is useful, many times not, or at the very least only pertains to the rodent species. Humans are not rodents!
i would like to be used in the experiments to regrow teeth. my contact email is donn409@usa.com.
I would like to have the chance to grow my teeth back. I still have 5 bottom teeth. Not having my real teeth is embrassing to me. Is there a place in the United States to do this and where? Thank you.
Jeanette
I am om disabilty and have real bad teeth.I would be interisted to do any thing to get my teeth in a better state.So if there are any programs you can help me with.Thank you David
sign me up asap!!!i got upper dentures at the age of 23 and only have 6 bottom teeth left. if there is even a possibility i could get my teeth back, i'd do anything!!! my email is dora.keenan@yahoo.com
Hi,
I had a front tooth extracted to have a implant
due to trauma root resorption. I much rather have
my own natural tooth. This is my e-mail
scarstostars@yahoo.com
Like to participate in the experiment of regrowing
teeth.
I would love to participate as well. I need new teeth. bill-kline@cox.net
Well, it seems we all have a healthy respect for this kind of experiment.
But then, all research pays off in sometimes unexpected dividends.
i have lost so many teeth and would accept any future trials. bish001@btinternet.com
My teeth are falling out and I would loved very much to be a test subject In the regrowing teeth trial.
can you really grow back teeth because i'm a 12 yr old little girl about to lose an aldut tooth in the front my face.if you can tell me when this technology is coming to Perth,Western Australia please email me at: whatsyourgoss@hotmail.com
thank-you soooooooooooo much (oh and i would love to grow the adult tooth back beacause i'm a ballet dancer and i'm not allow to a fake tooth until i'm 18yrs old!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hate that animals have to suffer for this research but I think it's one of the most important things to develop. If you haven't actually lost a tooth due to trauma or decay.. I't difficult to understand. I work with denture patients all the time. Many people think.. Oh, I'll just get my teeth pulled and wear dentures. Little do they know, it's only the beginning of cost and problems for most of them. Their bones resorb and the dentures don't fit. Most dentist don't get them aligned accurately. Most technicians don't set them correctly and they break over and over. They are also plaque and bacteria traps. Implants work sometime but they are questionable and a bit of a guess. they are often mis located or too long.
This would improve the lives of so many people including myself and help fight the development of many diseases.. Please support this.
K.
i just lost a front tooth and i'd be very interested if you'd like to consider me for research!!!
here's my email
pedro_fsantos@hotmail.com
I would like to know are there any clinic trials to go to? I had all my teeth removed. I cannot wear my upper denture due to gagging etc. Cannot afford the horseshoe denture. I am still using my temp. I have had enough hard times and would like to have the opportunity to have this done. It won't be the first time I have been in the Medical Books twice before. I feel having my own teeth will help improve my diet, help with going out in public, I am on ssdi. I am 54 years young and without teeth look like an old lady..Please consider me.
dats great to know about such things........it thrills me.....i think someday they may b able to recreate a human......so cool..
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gabrielg01
450 Comments
Only first step
I don't really understand the naysayers. This is only a first step, and there are so many more to come. Naysayers cannot bring anything to the table but "nothing".
These are revolutionary breakthroughs - each little step forward will open up new vistas for understanding biology, and for new applications.
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