00:00Dental regeneration, growing new teeth, has gone from being a fantasy to becoming a field of study
00:06of modern genetics.
00:08The possibility of growing new teeth in your mouth stems from understanding how a gene can activate biological signals.
00:15in your upper and lower jaw so that new teeth can grow.
00:19Or in this video we analyze another molecular mechanism that could end up being a treatment that replaces implants
00:25dental.
00:26And I'll tell you about another molecular mechanism because in my previous video I already discussed a first mechanism for regenerating teeth.
00:33But the way to grow new teeth is revealed in a study that I'm showing you on screen where they analyzed
00:39the incisors of mice.
00:41But why in them? Because unlike non-human incisors, their incisors grow in a way that...
00:46unlimited for her entire life.
00:48And the scientific team of Dr. Bill Boo, author of this research, identified something beyond the
00:54stem cells.
00:54And that something is their coordinating cells, which are called transit amplifier cells.
01:00These amplifying cells act like orchestra conductors, receiving signals from their environment and deciding when to activate proliferation, the
01:09growth of a specific tissue.
01:11Without instruction from these amplifier cells, stem cells remain dormant, inactive, asleep.
01:17I am dentist Luis Marcano and today I present to you another side of biotechnology in modern dentistry.
01:22And there is an even more relevant detail in my research on Dr. Bill Boo.
01:26These transit-amplifying cells use a very specific gene.
01:32And this gene is DLK1.
01:34And this gene is a gene responsible for a specific signaling pathway.
01:39Let me explain it to you another way.
01:40Amplifier cells use the DLK1 gene to send a signal to stem cells so that they
01:48begin to reproduce, divide, and produce specific cells.
01:53And here's the discovery of this research: it shows that the DLK1 gene not only tells...
01:59the cell that multiplies, but it indicates a specific objective, a specific form.
02:05And we have observed this in laboratory tests when it instructs the stem cell to activate and
02:10be in contact with the dental labium, this form, odontoblasts.
02:14And we odontoblasts are a cell that forms a lot of the tooth tissue.
02:18But how do we go from laboratory tests to having a new tooth in our mouths?
02:23The method is not to manufacture it outside, but to give your body the instructions to do it for you.
02:29Using this genetic advancement, scientists are seeking to create a niche or a biological seed.
02:34Activating the DLK1 gene triggers a chain reaction.
02:38First, we awaken the stem cells to form the internal structure, the dentin.
02:43But what's amazing is that as that base grows, it itself begins to call neighboring cells to
02:49They produce the enamel on the outside and the roots anchor themselves to your bone, so to speak.
02:55The advantage is total; it's not a titanium screw, it's a living organ that senses blood flow.
03:01and that adapts to your bite naturally.
03:03It is about restoring to the body the ability it lost after the second set of teeth.
03:08When will this treatment arrive?
03:10Although the research is already being validated in clinical samples, experts estimate that human trials and its application
03:16Commercialization could take between 7 and 10 years.
03:20We are in the final stage of deciphering the code.
03:22This is not just any process; it has very specific genetic control.
03:26Regenerating a new tooth through this method by Dr. Biriburra, who experienced a very precise chemical process.
03:32Finding stem cells is not a challenge; they are already in your periodontal ligament, they are already in the pulp.
03:37The challenge for these researchers is to understand how this gene communicates, how it carries out signaling.
03:44LK1 so that it works in your favor when you lose a tooth, so that you can produce another one.
03:50new.
03:50And that's how, one investigation at a time, genetics is showing us, so to speak, a manual of
03:56Instructions to activate certain processes that work in your favor, in this case to grow new teeth.
04:02Understanding this gene further and how it might coordinate new tooth regeneration could open the door
04:09to a new way of doing dentistry.
04:11Until the next video.
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