Human tooth regeneration is not a dream? The world's first "tooth regeneration" drug will undergo clinical trials

For humans, teeth are a very precious organ. In nature, fierce animals like big sharks constantly change their teeth throughout their lives, while humans only have two opportunities to grow teeth in their lifetime, one is deciduous and the other is permanent

For humans, teeth are a very precious organ. In nature, fierce animals like big sharks constantly change their teeth throughout their lives, while humans only have two opportunities to grow teeth in their lifetime, one is deciduous and the other is permanent. So if there is a congenital missing tooth, or if the tooth is damaged in the future, people can only resort to methods such as dental implants or dentures to cope.

Now, a medical team in Osaka, Japan has announced a breakthrough in the development of new drugs: the experimental drug can promote people's "third tooth development" and help people without or without teeth grow complete teeth.

The world's first to achieve tooth regeneration

Significant results in animal experiments

It is reported that a research group in the department of stomatology of Kitano Hospital under the Osaka Medical Research Institute is developing a breakthrough drug that can allow people to grow new teeth. The clinical trial will begin in July 2024, and the team's goal is to put it into mass production and use by 2030.

Gao Qiaoke, the Principal investigator and the project leader, said, "The idea of making human grow new teeth is the dream of every dentist. I have been studying this problem since I was a graduate student. I am confident that I can achieve this goal."

Data shows that Takahashi went to the United States to study abroad in the 1990s. Around that time, researchers around the world began to discover that certain genes in transgenic mice were related to the growth or number of teeth. Just a gene mutation can cause a change in the number of teeth in a mouse

In 2005, when he returned to Japan to further study the subject at Kyoto University, he found that the number of teeth of mice lacking certain genes had increased. A protein called USAG-1, synthesized through gene synthesis, was found in experiments to limit the growth rate of animal teeth. In other words, blocking this protein can allow animals to grow more teeth.

Gao Qiaoke's research team focused on USAG-1, and finally developed a Neutralizing antibody drug that can block the function of the protein. In a 2018 experiment, a mouse with fewer congenital teeth was injected with drugs to grow new teeth. This research achievement was published in the American Dental Journal in 2021 and received widespread attention as the world's first medical experiment to achieve tooth regeneration. In addition, ferrets also developed larger and newer teeth after undergoing drug experiments.

The ferret grows new teeth after the experiment

If a new drug is successfully launched, it will have a significant impact

Becoming the third choice after dentures and dental implants

After successful animal experiments, the Takahashi team is working hard to make the drug safe to act on humans. Once confirmed to have no adverse effects on the human body, the drug can be used for treatment of toothless children aged 2 to 6.

According to statistics, approximately 1% of people suffer from oligodontia, a congenital disease that can lead to insufficient tooth growth and the loss of six or more teeth compared to the general population. Genetic factors are considered to be the main cause of Human tooth development. People with underdeveloped Human tooth development are difficult to master the basic abilities of chewing, swallowing and speaking since childhood, which will have a negative impact on their development. If the new drug is successfully launched, it can help patients with oligodontia successfully block the action of the USAG-1 protein in the body, promote the "third development" of teeth, and thus grow teeth equivalent to the number of normal people.

In addition, when tooth decay is too severe or alveolar corrosion or abscess is present, people can no longer treat it under current technical conditions and can only rely on dentures and other devices. New drugs can also help these patients' teeth 'regenerate'.

Some people also suffer from Hyperdontia, which is the opposite of edentulous, a congenital disease that causes the number of teeth to be higher than normal. According to the research by Takahashi's team, one-third of such cases exhibit third tooth growth. If we can stimulate USAG-1 protein to play a role from the opposite angle, we can effectively inhibit the occurrence of this kind of Hyperdontia.

Becoming the third choice after dentures and dental implants

Red Star News Reporter Zheng Zhi

Editor Zhang Li, responsible editor Wei Kongming

(Download Red Star News, there are rewards for reporting!)

Disclaimer: The content of this article is sourced from the internet. The copyright of the text, images, and other materials belongs to the original author. The platform reprints the materials for the purpose of conveying more information. The content of the article is for reference and learning only, and should not be used for commercial purposes. If it infringes on your legitimate rights and interests, please contact us promptly and we will handle it as soon as possible! We respect copyright and are committed to protecting it. Thank you for sharing.(Email:[email protected])