Medical Discovery News
Science permeates everyday life. Yet the understanding of advances in biomedical science is limited at best. Few people make the connection that biomedical science is medicine and that biomedical scientists are working today for the medicine of tomorrow. Our weekly five-hundred-word newspaper column (http://www.illuminascicom.com/) and two-minute radio show provide insights into a broad range of biomedical science topics. Medical Discovery News is dedicated to explaining discoveries in biomedical research and their promise for the future of medicine. Each release is designed to stimulate listeners to think, question and appreciate how science affects their health as well as that of the rest of the world. We also delve into significant biomedical discoveries and portray how science (or the lack of it) has impacted health throughout history.
Medical Discovery News
Growing New Teeth
976 - Growing New Teeth
Welcome to Medical Discovery News. I’m Dr Norbert Herzog.
And I’m Dr. David Niesel
Of the many privileges that come with aging are back pain, high cholesterol, hair thinning…
Gee thank, Dave…(chuckle)..okay, here’s another one: losing your teeth! And that’s not limited to aging. People lose their teeth from gum disease, poor dental care, even genetics or hockey.
So, wouldn’t it be great to be able to regrow a new one instead of expensive painful fake implants? Scientists have been working on that.
Humans have molecules that form signaling pathways to coordinate the growth of teeth as well as some organs and tissues. Two of those molecules are BMP and Wnt.
They stop the formation of teeth after our permanent teeth come in. Now scientists are targeting proteins that block those pathways specifically in tooth development to stimulate teeth to grow.
The protein, USAG-one, would stimulate tooth growth if it is blocked, but researchers did not know if that alone would do it. USAG-one interacts with both BMP and Wnt, so the key is to see whether blocking the protein would affect other parts of the body.
They treated lab mice with antibodies targeting the protein and some led to poor survival rates. Eventually, they found one that only affected the interaction of USAG-one with BMP and blocked the BMP signaling.
When they tested this on mice, they were able to grow a new tooth and later, also in ferrets whose dental pattern is like that of humans. The next step is to test the antibody on other USAG-one in animals such as pigs and dogs. If that works out, we’ll get closer to human trials.
We are Drs. David Niesel and Norbert Herzog, at UTMB and Quinnipiac University, where biomedical discoveries shape the future of medicine. For much more and our disclaimer go to medicaldiscoverynews.com or listen to our podcast on your favorite podcast service.
