Researchers Grow New Teeth in Mice

If you've lost a **tooth** to decay or injury, you may not have to rely on that dental bridge or implant forever. Japanese scientists have found a way to **bioengineer** new adult teeth. So far, the method only works in mice, but experts say it may one day take hold in humans. The Japanese group, led by cell biologist Takashi Tsuji of Tokyo University of Science in Noda, Chiba Prefecture, focused on **tooth germs**, the **embryonic** tissues that develop into teeth. After obtaining such germs from mouse embryos, they separated out two types of cells - epithelial cells and mesenchymal cells - and then recombined them into a new bioengineered tooth germ. "ScienceNOW":[ http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2009/803/4]

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