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Say goodbye to dentures! Scientists develop new drug that can regenerate lost TEETH in mice and ferrets
- Researchers have developed antibodies that suppress a gene called USAG-1
- They found that targeting this gene allowed a lost tooth to grow back completely
- The trials were successful in mice and ferrets and the next step is to test it on pigs
Genetic treatment has been discovered that can regrow teeth, offering hope to millions of people living with dentures.
Deletion of the USAG-1 gene with antibody treatment has been found to allow teeth to grow back.
Antibody treatment targets the single gene and therefore stimulates tooth growth. In studies of mice and ferrets, the missing teeth grew back completely.
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Antibody treatment targets the USAG-1 gene and stimulates tooth growth. In studies of mice and ferrets, missing teeth grew back (pictured)
Japanese researchers at Kyoto and Fukui universities looked at molecules known to be involved in tooth growth.
Some of these chemicals are also involved in the growth of other organs, so it’s hard to find a gene that only targets teeth.
However, the researchers believed that the USAG-1 gene – gene-1 associated with uterine sensitization – could be a viable target.
“We knew that removing USAG-1 was beneficial for tooth growth. What we didn’t know was whether that would be enough, ”says study author Katsu Takahashi of Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine.
Monoclonal antibodies that target USAG-1 were administered to the animals in a single dose and were sufficient to regenerate an entire tooth.
After successful trials in mice, researchers turned to ferrets, a more complex animal with tooth patterns similar to humans.
“Our next plan is to test the antibodies on other animals such as pigs and dogs,” says Dr Takahashi.
Current treatments for tooth loss are limited to dentures and other forms of artificial tooth replacement.
Current treatments for tooth loss are limited to dentures and other forms of artificial tooth replacement. However, they are not permanent and are often expensive while being inferior to real teeth.
However, they are not permanent and are often expensive while being inferior to real teeth.
“Conventional tissue engineering is not suitable for tooth regeneration,” adds Manabu Sugai of Fukui University, another study author.
“Our study shows that cell-free molecular therapy is effective for a wide range of congenital dental agenesis.
The study is published in Science Advances.
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