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Wisdom teeth as source of stem cells

Researchers in Japan have successfully made stem cells from wisdom teeth, creating an alternative source of pluripotent cells for researching and treating disease and avoiding ethical problems surrounding the use of embryonic stem cells.

Scientists at Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, which is funded by the government, said they used wisdom teeth that had been frozen for three years after being removed from a 10 year old girl. Lead investigator of project, Hajime Ogushi, told AFP news agency that their work was significant for two reasons. First, it avoids ethical problem of using embryonic stem cells, and besides, wisdom teeth are usually thrown away, and second, it's easy to stock wisdom teeth.

Last year scientists in the US and Japan announced they had made stem cells using skin, first real breakthrough to find an alternative to embryonic stem cells as a way to make pluripotent master cells that have potential to become practically any cell of body, under right conditions. Many people welcomed news, including White House and Vatican.

The scientists, led by Shinya Yamanaka at Kyoto University, made stem cells using fibroblasts taken from the skin of mice. They introduced four transcriptor genes in fibroblast cells. These genes code for a range of transcription factor proteins that control expression of other genes, effectively turning the cells into " master cells', or stem cells that like embryonic kind, can become virtually any cell of body.

In this latest project, Ogushi and colleagues extracted cells from the donated wisdom teeth, inserted three of genes used by Yamanaka's team, and cultured cells for just over a month in lab. When they tested the cells they found them to be stem cells, Ogushi told AFP.

One application would be to use cells to treat inherited bone disease, but Ogushi explained it'll take at least 5 years of development and trials before idea even gets into clinical setting.

As to harvesting stem cells from wisdom teeth, Ogushi said there would be no problem with supply, since extraction of wisdom teeth is quite a common dental procedure. Having such a plentiful source of donors means scientists could produce stem cells with a range of genetic codes, increasing chance that a patient's immune system won't reject transplanted tissue or organ.

Another application could be that people who have their wisdom teeth out could arrange for them to be stored for future use as a source of stem cells already tailored to their own genetic code.

Last year, Japan announced it would be spending 10 billion yen, over 90 million US dollars, on stem cell research in next 5 years. Japan is second only to United States in the amount of money it spends on scientific research.

. Click here for more stem cell research news.

Sources: AFP, MNT archives.

Written by: Catharine Paddock, PhD Copyright: Medical News Today Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

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