A Smarter Use For Wisdom Teeth - Stem Cells

linxingxing

A Smarter Use For Wisdom Teeth - Stem Cells
, i% @$ s& |* T5 D2 I! R" g2 ?! ?$ t4 E4 j0 I' I/ E3 C9 }5 {
The soft pulp inside of teeth contains a population of cells known as mesenchymal stromal cells that are similar to cells found in bone marrow, a common stem-cell source. However, unlike bone marrow, tooth pulp is more easily obtained, especially in wisdom teeth, which most individuals have removed anyway. " ?* b/ H2 S  F0 T$ q& ~+ F
by Staff Writers" n$ U& l4 \$ R4 ]- c/ A  V6 y9 z
Washington DC (SPX) Sep 15, 2010
' ^! p6 L. W# A) cFor most people, wisdom teeth are not much more than an annoyance that eventually needs to be removed. However, a new study appearing in the Journal of Biological Chemistry shows that wisdom teeth contain a valuable reservoir of tissue for the creation of stem cells; thus, everyone might be carrying around his or her own personal stem-cell repository should he or she ever need some.
# L% @+ U$ a- J9 H/ E" V% z8 NGroundbreaking research back in 2006 revealed that inducing the activity of four genes in adult cells could "reprogram" them back into a stem-cell-like state; biologically, these induced-pluripotent stem cells are virtually identical to embryonic stem cells, opening up a new potential avenue for stem-cell therapy whereby patients could be treated with their own stem cells.
! S, }' K5 b1 E" i/ c8 [5 j# V! [4 ]1 r1 d! Z
However, despite their promise, making iPS cells is not easy; the reprogramming efficiencies are very low and vary among the cells that can be used for iPS generation and thus require good amount of "starter" cells - which might involve difficult extraction from body tissue (unfortunately skin cells, the easiest to acquire, show very low reprogramming efficiency).
0 \! C" I( A5 Y2 _# |5 {3 w: U) ]5 O9 f! X% Q, W
Now, a team of scientists at Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology may have found an ideal source: third molars, commonly known as wisdom teeth.
+ L$ {# }" e  o( e
& R. H8 i% o  R+ E$ s+ SThe soft pulp inside of teeth contains a population of cells known as mesenchymal stromal cells that are similar to cells found in bone marrow, a common stem-cell source. However, unlike bone marrow, tooth pulp is more easily obtained, especially in wisdom teeth, which most individuals have removed anyway.6 R0 b+ v' X* x  J; I" }
2 A5 i, o" T( w. n; ?
The researchers, led by Hajime Ohgushi, collected tooth samples from three donors and managed to generate a series of iPS cell lines following the similar procedure of activating three key genes (however, in another beneficial change they did not have activate the c-MYC gene which might lead the cells to become cancerous)., U7 I+ q0 @% F. |% z) K' W; W: I
; h3 H1 u& P6 ^0 q; k  V# e% z
The different cell lines displayed varying degrees of robustness but in some cases proliferated quite well, up to 100 times more efficiently than typical skin-cell-derived iPS cells. The molar-derived cells also could differentiate into many other cell types including beating cardiomyocytes (see an attached movie), as expected.: A/ p$ M' P" B& n* r4 P
0 I0 D9 X+ Q* c, E6 e
The presence of a supply of MSCs in wisdom teeth could have meaningful therapeutic ramifications. As noted by the researchers and others, wisdom tooth extraction is a common medical procedure in developed nations and, thus, creates a perfect opportunity to remove biological material in a sterilized setting; the teeth subsequently can be frozen and stored for many years until needed.' p& |: E' n; O

0 M2 D4 ?$ f2 vIn the meantime, that also provides time for researchers to better understand the details of iPS creation to further increase the efficiency for clinical use.; s5 G2 M9 q3 G1 j  Q
0 J- R: u+ v' s: w- }( P+ g3 A
From the JBC article: "Induction of Pluripotent Stem Cells from Human Third Molar Mesenchymal Stromal Cells" by Yasuaki Oda, Yasuhide Yoshimura, Hiroe Ohnishi, Mika Tadokoro, Yoshihiro Katsube, Mari Sasao, Yoko Kubo, Koji Hattori, Shigeru Saito, Katsuhisa Horimoto, Shunsuke Yuba and Hajime Ohgushi
. c# P  Z2 u" ?# ?3 x

linxingxing

Wisdom teeth could be stem cell source
8 \9 x( ^$ r& _6 d+ K# C# ?6 P  e. e9 Z9 w
disclaimer: image is for illustration purposes only ; r8 f* U8 O  O1 r9 r
by Staff Writers1 ?/ ]1 Y6 O- C  p/ {0 ^: ^- \
Tokyo (UPI) Sep 10, 2010
" ~- i1 \* @6 y  HA study has found that human wisdom teeth contain a valuable reservoir of tissue that could be used to create stem cells, researchers say.
; u; I2 B* c  O$ b) kResearch has found that inducing the activity of four genes in adult cells could "reprogram" them into a stem cell-like state; biologically, these induced pluripotent stem, or iPS, cells are virtually identical to embryonic stem cells, opening a potential avenue for stem cell therapy, an article in the Journal of Biological Chemistry said.! r, r0 _7 B- Q3 d' K

9 m/ Y" f4 o: H  x, {But making iPS cells isn't easy and requires a large amount of "starter" cells, which might involve difficult extraction from body tissue (unfortunately skin cells, the easiest to acquire, don't "re-program" well).
- l; u$ [1 M/ J8 ^8 }, W! y* ?2 M
8 W5 K2 j7 R1 L/ j8 Q9 aScientists at Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology may have found an ideal source: third molars, commonly known as wisdom teeth. The soft pulp inside of teeth contains a population of cells ideal for producing iPS cells, the researchers found.
( P2 Y* a2 a% d
  I7 k. b& F, A! M. y0 h% q1 uWisdom tooth extraction is a common medical procedure in developed nations and creates a perfect opportunity to remove biological material in a sterilized setting; the teeth subsequently can be frozen and stored for many years until needed.. F+ g( F( Q0 y
$ m; Q6 r! A* l) E

1 ~- D: j: A2 B! A; V  J( K% A

linxingxing

Wisdom teeth useful after all, have stem cells) i2 S6 A, A! u9 m# p7 t
NEW DELHI: The good for nothing painful wisdom tooth may finally have some worth.
# t, Z: W9 M5 J. u4 V; O
2 |/ }, E" Q- n6 E1 p0 F5 L8 IDoctors say the wisdom tooth, which is usually extracted, is a rich source of stem cells. The soft pulp inside the tooth contains a population of cells — known as mesenchymal stromal cells — which are similar to cells found in bone marrow, a common stem cell source.
5 [7 s+ e0 M0 b% J; ]  K2 K
5 e' @% J* D9 a6 {/ R+ G, lHowever, unlike bone marrow, tooth pulp is more easily obtained, especially in wisdom teeth that most individuals get removed anyway, said Dr Franck Chaubron from the Institute Clinident Biopharma. Dr Chaubron, who was recently in the country to set up Stemade Biotech, India's first dental stem cell bank that will be launched in a month in Chennai, said international studies conducted with stem cells extracted from a wisdom tooth have shown tremendous promise in regenerating damaged bones, cornea and cardiac muscles. + Q* |9 X# B! J

. U* g% o+ S7 k0 Y, E6 ~4 U* U"You don't necessarily have to remove the wisdom tooth to extract the stem cells from the pulp. Usually, the pulp has a million cells, 20% of which will be stem cells. It can be extracted from a person aged between 12 and 30. Dental stem cells are very easy to extract. They have high quantity of stem cells in them and can be applied for many regenerative applications," Dr Chaubron told TOI.
( w: R% v5 q4 L4 j9 R6 h
( ^5 H+ D# Q8 z* I, a  s* ~On Saturday, in a new study in the "Journal of Biological Chemistry" scientists from Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology confirmed that third molars — commonly known as wisdom teeth — are a valuable reservoir of stem cells.
1 E2 o) t. \* M: G& L  y' y. E; I3 L* k( n1 P  M, G5 S
"Thus everyone might be carrying around his or her own personal stem-cell repository should he or she ever need some," the scientists said.
2 d" v% D* L1 X1 W& r. [+ E6 M4 [8 k9 x/ e4 y2 w
The researchers, led by Hajime Ohgushi, collected tooth samples from three donors and managed to generate a series of stem cell lines which displayed varying degrees of "robustness but in some cases proliferated quite well, up to 100 times more efficiently than typical skin-cell-derived stem cells. The molar-derived cells also could differentiate into many other cell types including beating cardiomyocytes."
6 x( W; }- F3 u; ~# H) z1 F& D7 K6 D; l0 U2 Z& N0 Y" K0 u
Shailesh Gadre, MD of Stemade, said, "We have also harvested excellent amounts of stem cells from children's milk tooth. Wisdom tooth extraction is a common medical procedure in developed nations. If done in a sterilised setting, we can freeze the cells in liquid nitrogen for years until needed by which time its new applications will be found by researchers working on dental stem cells." % ^6 N+ [! c2 E" v
( o& R( \3 s* W! r0 L! y4 B
Scientists say the dental stem cells are located in areas next to nerve and blood vessels within the pulp of the tooth. Stem cells are master cells of the body that are not yet specialised and differentiated for a particular function/organ or tissue application. These stem cells have been found in tissues such as brain, bone marrow, blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscles, skin and liver. 8 b# R" }! T6 N6 {

4 U8 K) o6 Y: K+ l# e! B* l+ tThey remain in a quiescent or non-dividing state for years until activated by disease or tissue injury.

linxingxing

Wisdom teeth useful after all, have stem cells. [  G  }  F) a" G6 ~$ n* M
1 P  v6 G" {/ z
DELHI: The good for nothing painful wisdom tooth may finally have some worth. 1 `; ?# U) M# F  I& r; ~

$ S. f' o3 i  k/ XDoctors say the wisdom tooth, which is usually extracted, is a rich source of stem cells. The soft pulp inside the tooth contains a population of cells — known as mesenchymal stromal cells — which are similar to cells found in bone marrow, a common stem cell source.
4 E/ \  r7 ^$ o8 ^5 m; P  c8 a2 @
- _" i- ~( x; Q7 m0 {$ T; OHowever, unlike bone marrow, tooth pulp is more easily obtained, especially in wisdom teeth that most individuals get removed anyway, said Dr Franck Chaubron from the Institute Clinident Biopharma. Dr Chaubron, who was recently in the country to set up Stemade Biotech, India's first dental stem cell bank that will be launched in a month in Chennai, said international studies conducted with stem cells extracted from a wisdom tooth have shown tremendous promise in regenerating damaged bones, cornea and cardiac muscles.
7 ?/ l) T8 |1 Y( q+ i* {4 K
  `: N) G! K; V: @"You don't necessarily have to remove the wisdom tooth to extract the stem cells from the pulp. Usually, the pulp has a million cells, 20% of which will be stem cells. It can be extracted from a person aged between 12 and 30. Dental stem cells are very easy to extract. They have high quantity of stem cells in them and can be applied for many regenerative applications," Dr Chaubron told TOI.
0 K3 G8 D' X$ J* b# s+ W- f3 g# A& `& w8 R. l9 _- S' K
On Saturday, in a new study in the "Journal of Biological Chemistry" scientists from Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology confirmed that third molars — commonly known as wisdom teeth — are a valuable reservoir of stem cells.
0 v. Y7 O, ]; j% v& B6 i3 ?7 _& t/ }+ Z5 F" C6 R# q* j' E
"Thus everyone might be carrying around his or her own personal stem-cell repository should he or she ever need some," the scientists said.
, w% ]* H! A+ C7 c- U  G6 y
4 u2 G* e2 H) C; L- ]% D* TThe researchers, led by Hajime Ohgushi, collected tooth samples from three donors and managed to generate a series of stem cell lines which displayed varying degrees of "robustness but in some cases proliferated quite well, up to 100 times more efficiently than typical skin-cell-derived stem cells. The molar-derived cells also could differentiate into many other cell types including beating cardiomyocytes."
' P- x: b! H/ [6 o# v5 q8 P& X" [4 t5 P0 O1 N7 b3 D
Shailesh Gadre, MD of Stemade, said, "We have also harvested excellent amounts of stem cells from children's milk tooth. Wisdom tooth extraction is a common medical procedure in developed nations. If done in a sterilised setting, we can freeze the cells in liquid nitrogen for years until needed by which time its new applications will be found by researchers working on dental stem cells." / Q  _  N* e0 l8 n: d' O6 g4 b5 M0 I
4 c  X9 m# P3 o: x/ D" z
Scientists say the dental stem cells are located in areas next to nerve and blood vessels within the pulp of the tooth. Stem cells are master cells of the body that are not yet specialised and differentiated for a particular function/organ or tissue application. These stem cells have been found in tissues such as brain, bone marrow, blood, blood vessels, skeletal muscles, skin and liver.
! `9 R# P- `+ j6 m; h9 o% ?7 w3 s, k5 @8 K, _
They remain in a quiescent or non-dividing state for years until activated by disease or tissue injury. + x6 [9 x% a. ^: s& b; |  Z. E/ c

linxingxing

Technique to Reattach Teeth Using Stem Cells Developed
+ Z5 L0 E) g  p9 {( e5 I  sScienceDaily (Sep. 30, 2010) — A new approach to anchor teeth back in the jaw using stem cells has been developed and successfully tested in the laboratory for the first time by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
  `7 e) ?" m( H0 f& W# g7 b' r8 Z: N% B$ e( D
The new strategy represents a potential major advance in the battle against gum disease, a serious infection that eventually leads to tooth loss. About 80 percent of U.S. adults suffer from gum disease, according to the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.
; D/ ^. w/ R! }5 l) H" |; ?( u
& S( h8 f  v( o0 nResearchers in UIC's Brodie Laboratory for Craniofacial Genetics used stem cells obtained from the periodontal ligament of molars extracted from mice, expanded them in an incubator, and then seeded them on barren rat molars. The stem cell-treated molars were reinserted into the tooth sockets of rats.
0 g  a6 B+ O% Y$ t* I( _
# z" Q* ~' |" C- O( o. h; CAfter two and four months, the stem cells aligned and formed new fibrous attachments between the tooth and bone, firmly attaching the replanted tooth into the animal's mouth, said Smit Dangaria, a bioengineering doctoral candidate who conducted the research. Tissue sections showed that the replanted tooth was surrounded by newly formed, functional periodontal ligament fibers and new cementum, the essential ingredients of a healthy tooth attachment.6 p, e) ]# I2 b2 @% ], |

7 j8 }+ i; p- V: T! QIn contrast, tooth molars that were replanted without new stem/progenitor cells were either lost or loosely attached and were resorbed, Dangaria said.2 }4 Q# V6 }. l

% ~: |  c- e! }1 G! FThe study, published in an online issue of the journal Tissue Engineering, was funded through a grant by the National Institutes of Health.
" j! k1 Q# G" h" ~9 s7 j
7 G( x3 h. q; a6 d7 z* NDangaria said the natural surface of the tooth played an essential role in the study.
* E2 R$ G. V- H% ?" g) \8 x* ?) F# o
"Our research uncovered the code required to reattach teeth -- a combination of natural tooth root surface structure together with periodontal progenitor cells," he said.) K. r  M$ i/ N, ?; T8 h  U

1 j% g3 b4 Y9 m0 D" @' PTo verify that the ligament was formed by the transplanted stem cells and not by the animal's own cells, stem cells were labeled with green fluorescent protein prior to seeding them on the molars and re-inserting the teeth into the animal's mouth, Dangaria said.; N' u8 |4 Z& `

) k  u# {1 m; v& kAccording to Tom Diekwisch, director of the Brodie Laboratory, who is senior author on the paper, this is the first progenitor cell-based regeneration of a complete periodontal ligament in which a functional tooth was attached.$ l! {) W0 J! z8 A
+ v" M, z$ Q9 l
"Our strategy could be used for replanting teeth that were lost due to trauma or as a novel approach for tooth replacement using tooth-shaped replicas," said Diekwisch, who is also professor and head of oral biology.
% h" R) X8 n, k' `; ]0 M4 \! B* Q3 n# ~# P. o
Assisting Dangaria and Diekwisch were Yoshihiro Ito and Xianghong Luan of UIC's Brodie Laboratory; Leilei Yin of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and Giovanni Valdre of the University of Bologna, Italy.+ Y7 o: ~. ]" T/ b4 ^9 P
  q2 U* x8 y7 c2 }; R

linxingxing

Will keeping your child's baby teeth save their life one day?& B% F& E- w3 X- S4 q
By Angela Levin
+ }0 b5 T9 @/ A0 bLast updated at 12:39 PM on 16th February 2010
1 }6 L' @- R' ?Comments (8) Add to My Stories
5 `+ o( S+ n. a, k3 `  ] Playing it safe: Rugby player Kyran Bracken with his family
/ G' ], e/ a" Z" v1 IWhen Kyran Bracken’s six-year-old son, Charlie, loses his first milk tooth, the tooth fairy won’t be getting a look in. Instead, the moment it comes out the tooth will be packaged up and sent to a lab in Cheshire for use in a future health emergency.
% H- u+ I# X8 e. K* k" @7 k5 m9 r‘None of us knows what is round the corner medically for our children, but as a parent, I want to do the best I can to protect their health,’ explains Kyran. " ~1 [( q  c+ E
The former England rugby union scrum half is referring to the fact that children’s baby teeth are now known to be a source of stem cells - the body’s ‘master’ cells which can turn into a host of other cells, including bone, fat and nerves.
* B. P" P2 Y( ^* A) Y. f7 pStem cells are already being used to treat leukaemia and other types of cancers and blood disorders. The hope is they will soon help treat nerve damage, repair cartilage and even cardiac tissue following heart attacks.
4 x5 t! e2 R; hThe Brackens believe Charlie’s stem cells could possibly hold the key to his treatment should he ever become seriously ill - or even if he just lost a tooth. * ^/ \, E' Z7 N% m, T
‘I had one of my teeth knocked out during a match back in 1992, and had years of problems with it - crowns fell off and plates fell out,’ says Kyran. ‘It was only last year when I had an implant fitted that it stopped being a problem. * c# b: [( i/ S6 V& V6 _
‘But if something like that happens to one of my boys’ - he and his wife Victoria have two other sons, Jack, four, and Lochlan, one - ‘they might even be able to re-grow their own teeth one day.
' {, t& \0 D7 W# H1 k3 ~; W‘I’m sure that in 20 years’ time the possibilities of stem cells will be amazing, and collecting them when the children are young will prove to have been worth its weight in gold.’
6 i( m9 n& v$ m/ x1 W& JKyran, 35, heard about tooth stem cells from his sister Jane, 40, who, like their father, is a dentist.
* k5 ]2 a4 h8 ~- w- I; d‘Jane did lots of research into the potential benefits of storing the cells, and she told me she’d decided to have them collected from her three sons’ baby teeth in case of future need. She’s my big sister and, if she approves, that’s good enough for me. ' S& ^$ U. r6 V% X+ |' [$ e. c3 \
At present, stem cell therapy uses those found in bone marrow and babies’ umbilical cords. Another potential source is human embryos, but this is highly controversial.
1 i4 M  F6 W0 a. c8 m+ V+ ?/ c5 F: \( N& I, S: I& V
" S2 w9 D! f1 n9 c, s- Q* M
# h; a, X6 X$ g4 C
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/healt ... .html#ixzz1FB5COFgg