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Fully Functional Bioengineered Tooth Grown In a Mouse

Posted by kdawson on from the tooth-the-whole-tooth dept.

A couple of weeks back the Wall Street Journal reported on the first organ grown in vivo from stem cells — a tooth in the mouth of a mouse. Reader cdrpsab spotted the news on the MedGadget blog; the research had been reported earlier in the PNAS. From the WSJ: "The researchers at the Tokyo University of Science created a set of cells that contained genetic instructions to build a tooth, and then implanted this 'tooth germ' into the mouse's empty tooth socket. The tooth grew out of the socket and through the gums, as a natural tooth would. Once the engineered tooth matured, after 11 weeks, it had a similar shape, hardness and response to pain or stress as a natural tooth, and worked equally well for chewing. The researchers suggested that using similar techniques in humans could restore function to patients with organ failure."

19 of 264 comments (clear)

  1. Hu Hu by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I can see coming the spam update : "A new way to enlarge your pen1s"

  2. Re:Start small? by RuBLed · · Score: 4, Funny

    The tooth fairy could suck it up with her clearly outdated business model.

  3. Re:Start small? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    The tooth fairy would then receive a bailout package.

  4. Fully Functional Bioengineered Tooth Growing by stephanruby · · Score: 1, Funny

    Functional? Is this solution recursive?

  5. Strange Leap by Toonol · · Score: 5, Funny

    The researchers suggested that using similar techniques in humans could restore function to patients with organ failure."

    The submitter got me, I have to admit. I was reading the summary, thinking that it would end with "could allow humans to regrow teeth"... but they pulled a zigzag, and went a different direction. Organs. Wow. Did M. Knight Shamalyan write this summary?

    1. Re:Strange Leap by 228e2 · · Score: 2, Funny

      The problem with growing organs is that in order to get cells to multiply you have to disable certain genes in those cells, or at least reset their counters ....

      thats only 1 line of code that needs to be added . . . this shouldnt be too hard ;)

      --
      Since when does being a Socialist mean 'someone who has a different opinion than me'?
  6. Re:I have a friend who grew a tooth. by X0563511 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Got a bit of shark in him, eh?

    --
    For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
  7. It's a scam by GreatBunzinni · · Score: 3, Funny

    This is nothing but a scam to rip off the tooth fairy. Shame on you, science.

    --
    Slashdot, fix your code or at least hire someone who is competent at it to do it for you.
    1. Re:It's a scam by eln · · Score: 2, Funny

      I don't know about anyone else's family, but a quarter hasn't been good enough in my family since I was a kid in the 1980s. These days, the usual price for one tooth is $2. The tooth fairy usually gives it in the form of a $2 bill, depending on whether or not she had time to go to the bank and get a $2 bill before the tooth fell out.

  8. Re:I have a friend who grew a tooth. by jcr · · Score: 5, Funny

    Not that I know of, but he wins more than he loses at poker.

    -jcr

    --
    The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
  9. how'd you know? by commodoresloat · · Score: 3, Funny

    did you see the laser beam on his head?

  10. Fantastic news... by damburger · · Score: 2, Funny

    I wonder if this treatment will be available through NHS dentists once it is perfected.

    ROFLMFAO I crack myself up sometimes.

    --
    If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we shoot people for Apollo-related non-sequiturs?
  11. Re:Start small? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Market glut. The value of teeth would plummet.

  12. Re:Start small? by Sebilrazen · · Score: 2, Funny

    Given this advancement I foresee a drop in the price of her building materials.

    --
    "There are no facts, only interpretations." --Friedrich Nietzsche.
  13. Re:It's all about the permissions. by svtdragon · · Score: 2, Funny

    Fail. Missed password prompt. Oh well, that's what I get for a first-time effort at /. humor.

  14. Re:I have a friend who grew a tooth. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I had three of one of my front teeth when I was rather young. The second one was a gnarled twisted mass. :\

    Be grateful you hadn't born in ancient Sparta.

    How is babby tooth formed?

  15. Re:I have a friend who grew a tooth. by jd2112 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Beats having a bit of him in a shark...

    --
    Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
  16. Re:Repeated injuries can cause cancer by kthejoker · · Score: 3, Funny

    *reads this as he massages the inside of his cheek that he bit for the fifth time this year*

    Well shit.

  17. Re:I have a friend who grew a tooth. by Mister_Stoopid · · Score: 5, Funny

    Got a bit of shark in him, eh?

    jcr: "No, Why?"
    shark: "Does he want some?"

    *rimshot*