FUTURISM
An international, multidisciplinary team of researchers has taken a fascinating step toward a possible future in which we could regenerate human teeth with the use of stem cells.
As detailed in a new paper published in the journal Developmental Cell, the researchers created organoids, which are three-dimensional scaffolds of stem cells that mimic the functions of organs, to secrete proteins that eventually turn into dental enamel, the hard material that protects teeth from decay or damage.
“This is a critical first step to our long-term goal to develop stem cell-based treatments to repair damaged teeth and regenerate those that are lost,” said co-author Hai Zhang, professor of restorative dentistry at the University of Washington, in a statement.
Enamel is formed in the body by ameloblasts, cells that secrete enamel-building proteins. But once teeth are fully formed, these ameloblasts die off, leaving the body with no way to fix or regenerate damaged enamel.
The researchers recovered special genetic instructions for assembling these proteins through a technique called “single-cell combinatorial indexing RNA sequencing.”
They then used a computer program to retrace how genes can turn stem cells into enamel-building ameloblasts.
After a substantial amount of trial and error, the researchers were able to turn human stem cells into ameloblasts by activating genetic pathways using that blueprint.
