Timeline For Tooth Regeneration

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ScienceDaily reports on progress in tooth regeneration. Scientists - including this team from Brazil - are currently using adult stem cells to grow new teeth for rats and pigs. "Within a year, we expect to determine whether the methods we use to regrow animals' teeth will be useful in regenerating human teeth. If the methods prove effective, it will be at least seven years before they can be tested clinically in humans." Given that a number of groups working on tissue engineering for other organs have made similar progress, we should expect a wide range of "grown to order" replacement organs to be available by 2015 - assuming no ban on therapeutic cloning is enacted, of course.

Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/06/040625083022.htm