Researchers at Tufts University have successfully grown human-like teeth in a lab using a combination of bovine and human tooth cells, implanting them into the mouths of miniature pigs. This innovative project aims to develop dental implants tailored for human patients, addressing challenges in replacing lost teeth. Lead researcher Pamela Yelick has explored using pig jaw cells for their regenerative qualities, leading to this advancement in bioengineering. Past experiments involved hybrid teeth implanted in rat abdomens, underscoring the complexity and novelty of the work being conducted.
"It's very difficult to replace an implant, because first you have to rebuild all the bone that has been absorbed over time that's gone away. We're working on trying to create functional replacement teeth."
"Throughout her lengthy quest to grow better chompers, Yelick has used cells from pig jaws because the farm animals grow many sets of teeth throughout their lifetimes."
"It doesn't bother the rats," Yelick told the magazine, regarding the previous experiments where pig-human hybrid teeth were implanted into the abdomens of rats.
"The idea behind this terrifying lab-made concoction, which was detailed in a December paper published in the journal Stem Cells Transitional Medicine, is to create replacement teeth for human patients."
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