{"id":345,"date":"2014-07-08T22:47:19","date_gmt":"2014-07-08T22:47:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.libertyvilledentist.com\/PlottingwithPotts\/?p=345"},"modified":"2022-08-11T11:10:08","modified_gmt":"2022-08-11T16:10:08","slug":"growing-teeth-stem-cells","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libertyvilledentist.com\/PlottingwithPotts\/2014\/07\/08\/growing-teeth-stem-cells\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing Teeth from Stem Cells"},"content":{"rendered":"

The future is upon us. The days of growing human organs to replace those we’ve lost or destroyed is just beyond the horizon. Right now our reach may exceed our grasp, but that’ll only be for so long. And the key to artificially growing organs at will…urine!<\/p>\n

Urine Luck<\/h2>\n

Yes, it may sound disgusting, but it’s not like you’re being told to drink it. Also, before we get ahead of ourselves, we’re not talking about generating a lung or a heart. We’re talking about growing teeth from stem cells in urine. Still, it’s a fascinating process that could open a lot of doors to the future.<\/p>\n

Stem cells\u00a0can be harvested from urine. This isn’t news: studies had already shown that stem cells excreted in urine can become induced\u00a0pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs. These types of stem cells can differentiate into any of the 3 types of germ layers:\u00a0endoderm\u00a0<\/a>(forms the stomach, colon, liver, pancreas, thyroid, and others),\u00a0mesoderm\u00a0<\/a>(cardiac, smooth, skeletal muscle and kidney tissue), and\u00a0ectoderm\u00a0<\/a>(epidermis, neurons, and pigment cells). If it sounds a bit complicated, it is.<\/p>\n

From Urine to Tissue<\/h2>\n

So it’s been known that stem cells can be harvested from urine. It was only recently, though, in\u00a0a Chinese study<\/a>\u00a0that the iPSCs created from urine were finally used to generate solid organs or tissue. This is the true breakthrough. It begins with using a tissue culture to trigger iPSCs to differentiate into the cell types that lead to tooth growth: epithelial, which forms the enamel (this comes from the ectoderm, mentioned above) and mesenchymal cells, which give rise to the\u00a0dentin<\/a>,\u00a0cementum<\/a>, and\u00a0pulp\u00a0<\/a>(this comes from mesoderm).<\/p>\n

This mixture was then implanted\u2014get this\u2014into the outer layer of a mouse’s kidney. Here the human iPSCs generate the enamel, while the mouse’s mesenchymal cells generate the other 3 components of the tooth. After three weeks, this procedure created a tooth-like structure.<\/p>\n

Now it’s important to note that they were “tooth-like.” Their shape was a little off. Their hardness was a 1\/3 of the hardness of human teeth. This could be due to the unusual method of generating them, or because, unlike normal teeth, they never had a chance to chew as they were growing.\u00a0That said, other aspects about them were excellent. Structurally and physically they resembled teeth. They had similar properties of elasticity and had all the same cellular components.<\/p>\n

The hope now is to improve and advance, namely:<\/p>\n