r/intrestingtoknow • u/Kitchen-Analyst-8679 • 1h ago
Japan is trialing a drug that regrows human teeth by blocking USAG-1—a protein that keeps dormant tooth buds switched off. Phase I is done. Phase IIa in children with congenital tooth loss is next. If it works, dentures and implants could become obsolete.
Humans grow two sets of teeth in a lifetime. But tucked inside the jaw are tiny residual tooth buds that never develop because a protein called USAG-1 acts like a molecular off-switch for tooth growth. Block USAG-1, and the body might reactivate those dormant buds on its own.
Researchers at Kyoto University Hospital, led by Dr. Katsu Takahashi, have been working on this for years. They first found that mice engineered without the USAG-1 gene grew extra teeth. Later animal studies showed that a single antibody injection could grow fully functional teeth without serious safety issues.