From understanding tooth development to bioengineering of teeth

• Published in: European journal of oral sciences Vol. 126; no. S1; pp. 67 - 71
• Main Author: Thesleff, Irma
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.10.2018
• Subjects: Animal models; Bioengineering; Bioengineering - methods; Biology; Cells (biology); Developmental biology; Humans; hypodontia; Laboratories; Organs; Pluripotency; Progenitor cells; Regeneration; Rodents; Signaling; signaling molecule; Stem cell transplantation; Stem cells; Stem Cells - physiology; Teeth; tissue interactions; Tooth - growth & development; Tooth - physiology; tooth regeneration; Tooth, Artificial; Transgenic mice; stem cells; signaling molecule; hypodontia; tissue interactions; tooth regeneration
• ISSN: 0909-8836; 1600-0722; 1600-0722
• DOI: 10.1111/eos.12421

Remarkable breakthroughs in the fields of developmental biology and stem cell biology during the last 15 yr have led to a new level of understanding regarding how teeth develop and how stem cells can be programmed. As a result, the possibilities of growing new teeth and of tooth bioengineering have been explored. Currently, a great deal is known about how signaling molecules and genes regulate tooth development, and modern research using transgenic mouse models has demonstrated that it is possible to induce the formation of new teeth by tinkering with the signaling networks that govern early tooth development. A breakthrough in stem cell biology in 2006 opened up the possibility that a patient′s own cells can be programmed to develop into pluripotent stem cells and used for building new tissues and organs. At present, active research in numerous laboratories around the world addresses the question of how to program the stem and progenitor cells to develop into tooth‐specific cell types. Taken together, the remarkable progress in developmental and stem cell biology is now feeding hopes of growing new teeth in the dental clinic in the not‐too‐distant future.