Scientists use stem cells to grow fully functioning teeth in mice

Scientists from Japan have achieved that fully functioning teeth have been grown from stem cells planted in the mouths of mice. This researches could prove not only to be an important step towards being able to replace teeth in humans but eventually replacing organs, lost or damaged as a result of disease, injury or ageing.
The experiment consisted in removed the upper first molars from five-week-old mice. Then three weeks later, after confirming that no remaining components of the tooth root were present, they transplanted the germs into the jawbones of the mice. The seed-like tissues contained all the cells and instructions necessary to grow a tooth.
The current technology has already been used to develop limited tissues that could be transplanted into animals, but in this experiment was the first time a fresh three dimensional organ had been grown in a living animal from just a few cells.
This study could provide a prelude to the ability to grow new, fully functional bioengineered organs inside the body from stem cells or other germ cells.
Researchers propose this technology as a model for future organ replacement therapies. This study represents a substantial advance and emphasizes the potential for bioengineered organ replacement in future regenerative therapies .