STEM CELL RESEARCHERS SHOW THEIR TEETH

摘要

It may be time to redefine the concept of false teeth. A tooth grown from embryonic cells has been successfully transplanted into the jaw of a mouse. The transplant is a step towards providing artificial replacements for donor organs that are in short supply. To create the tooth, Takashi Tsuji at Tokyo University of Science in Japan and colleagues took cells destined to become teeth from mouse embryos. The cells were implanted into an adult mouse, beneath a membrane that surrounds the kidney. Two months later, the cells had developed into a molar (pictured) complete with a periodontal ligament - fibres that attach the tooth to bone. The team extracted the tooth and implanted it into the jawbone of another mouse.