Scientists looking into stem cell teeth
Thursday, June 9th, 2011For centuries, adult tooth loss has been handled by dentures and, more recently, dental implants. Now, researchers at the University of California-San Francisco are working on a technique that someday might make replacement teeth a reality. When Dr. Ophir Klein looks at the badly deformed teeth in some patient photos, he dreams of someday being able to replace them — not with artificial dentures, but real teeth created in a lab. “In the long run you could, for example, take the precursor organ itself that was not fully developed and implant into the jaw and allow it to develop there,” Klein said. To make that kind of advance a reality, Klein’s team is working to unlock the secrets of how stem cells form into teeth. Using mouse models, they’re studying epithelial cells that differentiate to become hardened tooth enamel.More
Source: ABC7