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Main Category: Dentistry
Also Included In: Stem Cell Research
Article Date: 30 Jul 2013 – 0:00 PDT
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Their system mimics normal tooth development, which results from an interaction between two different cell types: epithelial cells, producing enamel, and mesenchymal cells, which generate the other three main tooth components of dentin, cementum and pulp.
Previous stem cell research has shown how cells can be generated from urine. It is also known that cells discarded with urea can become induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that can then generate many different cell types, including neurons and heart muscle cells.
Chinese researchers describe how stem cells derived from urine could be used to generate solid organs and tissues, including teeth. Their study is published this week in the open-access journal Cell Regeneration. The researchers hope the technique might one day help provide new, tailor-made teeth for dental patients.
Tissue culture breakthrough
?First, the team used chemicals to coax the cultured iPSCs into flat sheets of epithelial cells. They then mixed these cells with mouse embryonic mesenchymal cells, and transplanted them into mice.
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Written by: Nick Valentine
The hope for regenerative medicine
Valentine, Nick. “Tooth created from urine in stem cell lab.” Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 30 Jul. 2013. Web.
30 Jul. 2013. <http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/264079.php>
?iPSCs remain a great source of hope for regenerative medicine. Not only do they avoid the controversial use of embryos, but they also come from a more readily accessible source than even cultured skin and blood. Furthermore, cells generated by this method cannot be rejected by the human immune system, being derived from the host’s own cellular material.
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Tooth created from urine in stem cell lab
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