A groundbreaking breakthrough in regenerative medicine is ready to shock the field of dentistry.
Japanese pharmaceutical startup Toregem Biopharma is preparing to launch human clinical trials next year on a new drug that has already shown remarkable success in growing new teeth in animal test subjects.
Five years ago, the company successfully grew new teeth in mice, and now they are ready to move on to human trials. Dr. Katsu Takahashi, the lead researcher and head of dentistry and oral surgery at Medical Research Institute Kitano Hospital, has been working on this project since his graduate school days.
Now, testing will turn to healthy adult humans and, if all goes well, the team plans to hold a clinical trial for the drug from 2025 for children between two and six years old with anodontia – a rare genetic disorder that results in the absence of six or more baby and/or adult teeth.
According to the Japan Times, the children involved in the clinical trial will be injected with one dose of the drug to see if it induces teeth growth.
If successful, the medicine could be available for approval by 2030.
This could eventually be another option for those who don’t have a full set of teeth! Wow!