Tokyo, May 12th - A teeth regeneration drug that attracted attention in 2021 is finally set to undergo human trials this year. The drug, which was planned to enter clinical trials last year, has now officially been scheduled for human trials.
Japanese researchers announced on May 2nd that the world's first teeth regeneration drug clinical trial will start in September at Kyoto University Hospital, with 30 healthy adult males who are missing at least one molar participating. The second phase of the trial is tentatively scheduled for 2025, targeting children diagnosed with congenital tooth agenesis between 2-7 years old, who are missing at least four teeth.
The development and testing of this teeth regeneration drug is exciting because of the numerous benefits it can bring. Most notably, it will make tooth restoration more affordable, eliminating the need for complex and expensive dental surgeries, as well as costly and easily damaged dentures.
TechNews observed that the research team had conducted extensive animal experiments on the drug and observed no side effects. In 2018, they successfully regenerated teeth in ferrets, as their dental embryos are very similar to humans, showing that the drug may also be applicable to humans.
The drug primarily works by inhibiting a protein called USAG-1, which is believed to hinder the development of dental embryos into milk teeth or permanent teeth. If human trials go smoothly, this teeth regeneration drug may be widely applied to patients in need by the end of this decade.
While the main target of the drug is to help patients with odontogenic developmental disorders (a genetic disease causing tooth loss), this technology also holds promise to assist people with tooth loss due to various reasons in the future.