NIH encouraging stem-cell banks for teeth

WASHINGTON, Jun 09, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- U.S. medical officials are encouraging private companies to create banks for stem cells obtained from baby and wisdom teeth that one day could prove useful for regenerating diseased or damaged tissue.

"A few companies have contacted us about using the technology ... but none have come forward and said they want to bank these cells," Pamela Gehron Robey, of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, a division of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md., told United Press International.

"We're hoping that some of this media attention will bring companies forward," Robey added, referring to coverage of a speech she made about tooth stem-cell research at the American Dental Association meeting in New York City.

So far, it does not appear many companies are biting.

Rita Kennen of the Cord Blood Registry in San Bruno, Calif., said her company also had not considered banking teeth stem cells.

Kennen told UPI it probably is too early in the field of tooth stem-cell research for companies to commit to the substantial investment required to start up a bank.

Little is known about tooth stem cells, while the cord-blood cells already have proven their medical benefit, she said. Cord-blood cells are being used to treat various cancers and blood disorders, while it has not yet even been shown that the tooth cells can survive frozen storage and remain medically viable.

Stem cells can develop into different tissue types in the body. Embryonic stem cells offer the most potential for regenerating tissues, because they can give rise to every cell type in the body -- although they remain controversial because they can be obtained only by destroying a human embryo.

Adult stem cells, which include the cells found in teeth, offer an alternative to embryonic stem cells. Obtaining adult stem cells does not require destroying an embryo, but they have a more limited potential.

Stem cells in wisdom teeth were discovered in 2000, and stem cells in baby teeth were discovered only two years ago, by NIH researcher Songtao Shi. They are located in the pulp layer in the teeth, jawbone and periodontal ligament that holds teeth in place.

Robey said tooth stem cells show promise for someday being used to regenerate or save injured teeth and jawbones. They also could be used to correct a birth defect known as cleft palate, which currently requires multiple surgeries to repair, and possibly in treating Parkinson's disease and other disorders.

Robey said she suspects the medical community will have a better idea of the usefulness of tooth stem cells within five years.

"It's a matter of more research," she said. "We have to figure out exactly what these cells can make and whether we can get them to make other tissues."

Asked whether the NIH would provide financial support for companies interested in starting up tooth stem-cell banks, Robey said, "They would probably have to apply for a (Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR) grant." She added that she is unaware whether the agency has approved any SBIR's for this area.

Dr. Robert Lanza, vice president of medical and scientific development at Advanced Cell Technology in Worcester, Mass., a company focused on developing medical therapies from stem cells, told UPI he thought other adult stem-cell sources might prove more useful than teeth.

"The real question comes down to whether or not it warrants the resources, and I think it would be premature at this point to start encouraging parents to start banking all these lost tissues from their children," Lanza said.

"As the stem-cell field advances, other strategies will pan out," such as obtaining stem cells from fat tissue or hair follicles, he said. "In a way, it could be taking advantage of parents who might do it out of guilt or lack of information. I think a parent would go crazy if they tried to collect stem cells every time their child lost a tooth, some hair or some blood."

Also, banking cells is not free. The initial processing fee for cord-blood cells runs around $1,800 and it generally costs $125 per year to keep them frozen, Kennen noted.

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Steve Mitchell is UPI's Medical Correspondent. E-mail: sciencemail@upi.com