Lots of hopium in the article. The base treatment seems to be for 2-7 years old missing teeths.
I mean you can't just inject some stuff and have a random tooth grow out.
Lots of hopium in the article. The base treatment seems to be for 2-7 years old missing teeths.
I mean you can't just inject some stuff and have a random tooth grow out.
I'm 36, so you telling me theres a chance I won't need dentures when I'm in my 70s?
There's a crazy lot of stuff that will happen in the upcoming decades. IMO.
Well, that's not actually the first thing they're testing:
Now, scientists will see just how similar, because humans will soon undergo a similar trial in September of this year. Lasting 11 months, this study will focus on 30 males between the ages of 30 and 64—each missing at least one tooth. The drug will be administered intravenously to prove its effectiveness and safety, and luckily, no side effects have been reported in previous animal studies.
I'm guessing the idea is to catch teeth that could have developed but never did (hey, I'm missing one that way). Otherwise I'm not sure how they'd control which type and how many show up.
Annoyingly there's no English language link, so it's hard to say. I'm not even clear on what they did with the ferrets.
Annoyingly there’s no English language link, so it’s hard to say. I’m not even clear on what they did with the ferrets.
Here you go! https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abf1798
A ferret got an extra tooth
Ah, thanks!
So the meat of this is actually the mouse models, looks like. Strains of mice with genetically missing teeth got them back.
They basically just juiced normal ferrets to see what would happen, and they grew an extra incisor as you can see in the images posted. I'm guessing developing genetically toothless ferrets wasn't in the scope of their funding. You can get all kinds of weird lab mice "off the shelf", though.
Based on the studies I've seen, that's exactly what the researchers are hoping for in the long run
Crazy if it works, but the whole biotech field is boiling right now so who knows?
Boiling?
There is a lot of research and interesting things going on right now, from those latest vaccines that are amazing (and not only for vaccinating), CRISPR, longevity research etc etc etc.
It really feels like we went from "trying out 100.000 random things to see if we can somewhat cure something" to using a more direct approach like targeted interventions and designed drugs & molecules.
Mark my words this is going to be used decoratively like a tattoo or a piercing
Two words, penile implant.
Vagina dentata
What a wonderful phrase!
That seems like overkill if you just want bumps.
Waiting for someone to aiprompt what that would look like!
One question. How much? Unless its very very affordable i.e. cheaper than implants then it's just another dental resource I can't afford. In the US insurance companies will label this as cosmetic and thus only for the wealthy
Awesome science though, just hope some of the less fortunate can actually afford it
Ok, so how does it work? Does it regrow a single tooth if it’s missing, or do you have to pull them all out, and it regrows the whole set?
It's likely an injection into the jaw. We already have the pathways to grow new teeth, and where. It's what kicks out milk teeth. It's likely a case of triggering it.
Worst case, your old teeth fall out.
In the previous comment, the one I replied to, it says the drug is administered intravenously. I thought, like you did, it would be some sort of gel or cream or injection into an old tooth socket or something like that. However, it seems that the drug is administered intravenously and works systemically.
I find this all very fascinating
Yeah, so what if you're like me and you've had a tooth pulled and replaced with an implant? There's a titanium drywall anchor embedded in my skull with a fake tooth bolted to it. What happens if I take this drug? Does it push the bone graft out?
Yeah, I’m in the same boat with a couple of teeth. I really wanna know what would happen in that case, lol.
Perhaps they would have to remove any dental implants before proceeding with the therapy.
I can probably hold out but it’s going to be close .
Do they have to be grown in the normal tooth places, or can I grow myself some teeth knuckle dusters?
Next up, contagious teratomas