Stem Cells From Urine Can Be Used To Grow Teeth

Stem Cells From Urine Can Be Used To Grow Teeth

The result of a study that was published in the Cell Regeneration Journal has shown that teeth can be obtained from stem cells collected from human urine.

The team behind the discovery comes from China and is working on perfecting the technique that could prove a very cheap and efficient way of replacing lost teeth.

With stem cell research being one of the most popular and at the same time controversial research subjects, the challenge to obtain new teeth and replace those lost because of poor hygiene or degenerative diseases is still a long way from becoming reality.

The Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health collects cells passed through the body and coaxes them into becoming stem cells.

The resulted cells where mixed with additional DNA from a mouse and implanted into animals. The researchers noted that after three weeks the cells started forming a tooth like structure that contained dental pulp, dentin, and enamel organ. They also said that while it resembled a tooth is was in no way as hard as a natural one.

The techniques was contested by some researchers like Professor Chris Mason from the University College London that said urine had a low efficiency for stem cell gathering and presented high infection risks.

Posted by George Daniels on Sunday August 04 2013, 3:38 AM EST. Ref: BBC. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0