БиоПро Выбор потребителя 2018 #07

The mechanism of restoration of teeth by means of stem cells is found

An international team of researchers has discovered a mechanism that activates stem cells of tooth tissues. The discovery offers a new potential solution for tooth restoration.

Stem cells play a key role in wound healing, as they are able to turn into specialized types of cells of most body tissues, including teeth. A, study published on August 9, 2019 in Nature Communications, showed that a gene called Dlk1 enhances stem cell activation and tissue regeneration during tooth repair. The work was conducted by Dr. Bing Hu from the University of Plymouth’s Peninsula Dental School, in collaboration with researchers from around the world.

Dr. Hu and his team discovered a new population of mesenchymal stem cells (forming muscles, bones, and cartilage) in an ever-growing mouse incisor. They showed that these cells contribute to the formation of dental dentin, a hard tissue that covers the main part of the tooth

Scientists have found that after activation, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) send a signal back to the cells of the mother tissue to control the number of cells produced using the Dlk1 gene. This study first showed the vital role of Dlk1 in this process.

Dr. Hu’s team also able to prove that Dlk1 can enhance stem cell activation and tissue regeneration in a healing model of tooth injuries. This mechanism can provide a new solution for tooth restoration during tooth decay, caries, or treatment after injuries.

Further research will be aimed at confirming the results for clinical use in order to establish the appropriate duration of treatment and dose, however, the preliminary results obtained in animal models are encouraging, as Dr. Hu explains.

Stem cells are so important, as, in the future, they could be used by laboratories to regenerate tissues that have been damaged or lost due to disease – so it’s vital to understand how they work”, – said Dr. Hu, who is also part of the University’s Institute of Translational and Stratified Medicine (ITSMed).

“By uncovering both the new stem cells that make the main body of a tooth and establishing their vital use of Dlk1 in regenerating the tissue, we have taken major steps in understanding stem cell regeneration.

“The work has taken place in lab models at this stage, and further work needs to be done before we can bring them in to human use. But it’s a really big breakthrough in regenerative medicine that could have huge implications for patients in future.”

Professor Christopher Tredwin, Head of Peninsula Dental School and co-author of the paper, said: “We are highly excited by the recent progresses in Dr Bing Hu’s group. This new work, together with a recent high-impact paper published in The EMBO Journal, which is about another type of stem cells in the tooth: epithelial stem cells, puts Plymouth at the front of the world’s dental and craniofacial stem cell research and regenerative medicine. We expect those researchers will soon provide dental patients better time and cost-effective solutions to serious tooth problems – from trauma to caries.”