According to the scientific website IFLScience, the “teething drug” was developed by Toregem Biopharma, a newly established pharmaceutical company funded by Kyoto University. Its core is an antibody targeting the “USAG-1” gene, which inhibits tooth growth by binding to the growth factor BMP. Professor Katsu Takahashi, the person in charge of the research, explained that by blocking the action of “USAG-1”, it is hoped that the human body’s potential tooth regeneration ability can be activated.
According to reports, the “teething drug” will start the first phase of clinical trials at Kyoto Hospital in September for 11 months, with 30 healthy adult men who have lost at least one tooth. Participants will receive the drug through intravenous injection, with the aim of evaluating the safety and initial efficacy of the drug.
If the initial trial is successful, researchers plan to conduct a second phase of clinical trials in 2025, targeting patients with congenital tooth loss aged 2 to 7 who are born with at least 4 missing teeth. This phase involves not only efficacy issues, but also the complexity of children’s growth and development.
In the animal experiment phase, the drug showed positive results. A single dose can make ferrets grow a tooth again, and it is well tolerated in gnat animals without obvious adverse reactions. However, experts remind that there is still a long way to go from animal experiments to human applications.
Dental experts pointed out that if this research is successful, it may completely change the mode of dental treatment and may become a third option besides dental implants and dentures. At the same time, it may also provide valuable experience for the regeneration research of other organs.
The report also mentioned that this research has opened up new horizons for human beings to explore the regenerative ability of the body and provided unlimited possibilities for future medical development. But at the same time, this research also faces many challenges.
The first is the safety issue. Researchers need to ensure that the drug will not have adverse effects on other parts of the human body; the second is the durability and stability of the therapeutic effect, which requires long-term tracking and observation. In addition, the production cost and accessibility of the drug are also important factors that need to be considered in the future.
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