Japanese researchers are working on an innovative drug that could help people regrow missing teeth.
The research team is set to begin human trials in July 2024 and hopes the new drug will be available to the public by 2030 if successful, according to Japanese news outlet The Mainichi.
The medication is manufactured for individuals who have missing teeth “due to congenital factors,” The Mainichi reported — in other words, people who were born without some or all of their teeth. The researchers have completed their animal trials, resulting in the growth of “third-generation” teeth that came after both baby and adult teeth, according to the outlet.
Scientists at the Medical Research Institute Kitano Hospital in Osaka are part of a team conducting the experimental investigation, Gizmodo reported. Their findings were initially published in 2021 in the Science Advances journal.
Miracle tooth REGROWING drug ‘to begin human trials next year’ https://t.co/ruVTug91Vj pic.twitter.com/cIIRV9DDy7
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The medication could be a solution to rare genetic disorders such as anodontia, a medical condition in which an individual has a complete lack of teeth, The Mainichi reported.
“The idea of growing new teeth is every dentist’s dream,” lead researcher Katsu Takahashi said, according to the outlet. “I’ve been working on this since I was a graduate student. I was confident I’d be able to make it happen.”
The drug works by suppressing USAG-1, the protein responsible for limiting the growth of teeth, The Mainichi reported.
In 2018, Takahashi’s research team gave the medication to mice with a “congenitally low number of teeth,” according to the outlet. The mice reportedly began to grow new teeth as a result, marking the primary stages of the world’s first tooth regenerative medication. (RELATED: Alzheimer’s Drug Gets Full Approval From FDA, Despite Risks)
With human trials reportedly on the way, the new drug could be an addition to dentures and implants, Takahashi told The Mainichi.