TOKYO: Japanese researchers have succeeded in developing a normal tooth from single cells in a laboratory and transplanting it into mice, according to a research study in the journal Nature Methods.
The researchers, led by Takashi Tsuji of the Tokyo University of Science in Chiba, Japan, used primitive cells to be grown in collagen gel, the material that holds the body together. After a process of growth, they found that the material has all the constituents of normal tooth -- like dentin, enamel, pulp, blood vessels and ligaments. The arrangement of these constituents was also in terms of natural teeth, they said.
It was then transplanted into a mouse and the researchers found that it developed quite normally . . .more
Mice around the world have heralded the achievement, as millions of rodents suffer from poor dental hygiene and are expected to benefit from the research. No more will they be forced to wear dentures or suck soup through straws after middle-age.
Jerry from the comedy team "Tom & Jerry" was quoted as saying: "This is great news. It will allow us the freedom to eat what we want to eat, not just cheese all the time."
