The researchers in Japan have created teeth, which they believe are complete with connective fibers and bones, by using stem cells of the mouse. They successfully transplanted those teeth into mice and they hope this step will escort to progress in stem cell study.
The complete units of tooth that were placed into lower jaw of the mice were successfully attached with jaw bones of the mice and they were able to chew normally. It is hoped that this step will help in the development of new human organs grown from patient’s own stem cells.
Stem cells are the master cells of the body and they are source of all cells and tissues. These cells are undifferentiated and experts believe they can produce all the cell types of the organ from which they derive. The stem cells have ability to produce diverse types of cells, multiply and self renew.
So, researchers hope to harness stem cells to treat a wide range of diseases and disorders, counting cancer, diabetes and injuries. The lead researcher Professor Takashi Tsuji and colleagues detached two types of stem cells from the molar teeth of mice and grew them in the laboratory.
In order to control the shape and length of the teeth, the stem cells were placed in a mold, where they grew into the complete tooth units. The entire tooth units were then transplanted into the lower jaws of one-month-old mice. They fused with the tissues and jaw bones around them after about forty days.
Nerve fibers also could be detected in the new teeth. The significance of the correct seed cells for reparative therapy was stressed by Prof Tsuji. In this process, complete tooth units could be grown as the stem cells were taken from molar teeth of the mice, where they later grew into enamel, dental bones and other parts that included a regular tooth unit.
Currently, researchers all over the world do not have the technique to culture three-dimensional organs in vitro. It is significant to develop technologies for the culture of the bioengineered organ, for the realization of future organ replacement regenerative therapy, added Prof Tsuji.