A Japanese startup is working on a drug to re-grow teeth. 

Toregem Biopharma Co, supported by Kyoto University, aims to introduce the world's first tooth-regeneration drug to the market by 2030.

The company is gearing up to commence clinical safety trials with healthy adults around July 2024. 

The journey began in 2018 when researchers achieved the remarkable feat of cultivating new teeth in mice.

Typically, most people possess latent “tooth buds” capable of developing into new teeth, coexisting with baby and permanent teeth, although these buds usually remain undeveloped and eventually vanish.

The research team has devised an antibody-based medication that targets the protein suppressing tooth growth, effectively kickstarting the growth process within these dormant buds.

In another pivotal experiment in 2018, the researchers administered this drug to ferrets, which possess a dental structure similar to humans, comprising both baby and permanent teeth. Encouragingly, new teeth sprouted in the ferrets.

Looking ahead, the team intends to initiate clinical trials starting in 2025, focusing on children aged 2 to 6 years old afflicted with anodontia, a condition where they are born without some or all of their permanent teeth. 

These young patients will receive a single dose of the drug to trigger tooth growth.

Furthermore, there are aspirations to employ this innovative drug for adults who have lost teeth due to cavities.

Katsu Takahashi, co-founder of Toregem Biopharma and head of dentistry and oral surgery at Kitano Hospital in Osaka, emphasised the potential significance of the drug, stating; “Missing teeth in a child can impact the development of their jawbone… we hope the drug will serve as a key solution to these issues.”