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.Japanese scientists successfully grew a tooth after they implanted stem cells into a mouse’s kidney.
The US Public Library of Science Journal states that the tooth is completely functional, and possesses bone and ligament. This is believed to be the first time this kind of procedure has worked.
This procedure is something scientists have been working on but unable to achieve.
The tooth was produced from a mouse’s stem cells and grown inside a drop of collagen. It was then inserted inside a mouse’s kidney.
After the tooth grew, it was place into another mouse’s jaw. The procedure couldn’t have been done if it wasn’t provided with the chance to incubate.
This breakthrough creates the possibility for nerveless artificial teeth. It could provide the possibility of offering gum replacements for people with jaw diseases or issues.
This research is similar to work being done in Australia, where scientists are growing mammary tissue inside the human body. The breakthrough regarding the tooth, however, may be more significant because a tooth is a more complex structure that anything else that was ever grown like this.
The eventual goal, according to Tokyo University of Science professor Takashi Tsuji, is to reproduce organs like kidneys and livers. It’s possible that limbs, eyes and many other things could also be grown some day.
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