Dental pulp stem cells to treat the spinal cord injury in mice
A group of Nagoya University Medical Researchers lead by Prof. Minoru Ueda and Associate Prof. Akihito Yamamoto successfully treated 10 mice with the spinal cord injury using the dental pulp stem cells. This is the world first successful experiment.
The group discovered that the dental pulp stem cells, which are found in both baby teeth and wisdom teeth in human, have the property to change into various other cells including nerve cells. They’ve transplanted the cells to the spinal cords of 10 mice with the lame hind legs due to the spinal cord injury, and found that all mice were able to move their hind legs in about one month, and most of them regained the ability to walk somewhat normally.
At present, there is no effective treatment for the spinal cord injury. Some hopes for the regenerative medicine using the ES cells and the iPS cells, that may be underway, however, the ethical and safety (potentially cancer causing) issues associated with it can’t be ignored.
The group views that it might be safer and more practical to use the dental pulp stem cells, which are easily extracted because everyone is born with them. Prof. Ueda says, “We extract and dispose about 5,000 wisdom teeth per year. Perhaps they could even be used for making some medication in the future.”
