Dentine regeneration research to explore new tooth regrowth method

A $1.2 million grant has been awarded to a researcher at the University of Chicago Illinois (UIC) to advance her research on dentine phosphophoryn, a protein that may assist with tooth regrowth.

In the newly-funded project, Professor Anna George will explore the role of dentine phosphophoryn in autophagy – a process she compared to ‘garbage collection’, which removes damaged parts of a cell and recycles their components.

In the dental pulp, autophagy could protect teeth from the impact of inflammation or injury. The study will explore whether dentine phosphophoryn could be used to regrow dentine through this process.

George said: ‘We think this protein may serve as a protective mechanism for cell survival. We want to understand how it helps protect those cells and preserve their regenerative capacity to allow them to continue forming healthy tooth tissue during the life of the tooth.’

What is the benefit of tooth regrowth research?

Previous approaches to managing tooth decay focus on removing defects and stopping them from spreading. However, Professor George explained that this carries the major downside of replacing the living tooth with a synthetic cap.

She continued: ‘What we are trying to do is use these proteins in a scaffold in the dental cavity to regrow dentin, have a living matrix that can stop cavity propagation and retain tooth function.’

The research will utilise both human dental pulp stem cells and animal models to investigate the molecular pathways that control autophagy and tissue regeneration.

The $1.2 million of funding has been provided by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research at the National Institutes of Health. The new project builds on George’s three decades research at the UIC College of Dentistry.

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