Tengrinews.kz - In a groundbreaking development, American scientists have successfully grown new teeth using a combination of cells.
According to Gazeta.Ru, the research was published in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine (SCTM).
The study was led by Professor Pamela Yelick from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. Researchers harvested pulp cells from extracted human teeth and combined them with epithelial cells from unerupted pig teeth. The resulting cell mixture was placed in a special scaffold and implanted into the jaws of adult pigs.
Over the course of several months, the bioengineered teeth developed similarly to natural teeth, although the experiment ended before full eruption.
"We were able to grow beautiful little teeth that look like natural human teeth," Yelick said.
The research team plans to continue experiments aiming to stimulate new tooth growth directly in the human jaw without the need for lab-grown cells.
Yelick added that they hope full tooth regeneration will become possible within the next decade.
"It’s best to keep your natural teeth for as long as possible. But if something happens, we want to offer people biological replacements," the professor emphasized.
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