A research team at the UIC, led by Dr. Maher Atari and directed by Dr. Lluís Giner, the Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, has established a protocol to isolate and identify subpopulations of dental pulp pluripotent-like stem cells (DPPSCs), which have a genetic profile similar to that of embryonic stem cells, but in adult cells (OCT3/4 +, NANOG +, SOX2 +, LIN28 +).

The study has been published in the prestigious Journal of Cell Science, which was founded at Cambridge and has a high impact index. Previously, advances in the study were published in Bone Journal (Harvard) and Histology & Pathology.

The study has demonstrated in vitro the ability of DPPSCs to produce tissues with characteristics associated with the mesoderm, the endoderm and the ectoderm (osteoblasts, hepatocytes and neurons). The study could reach the clinical phase and, someday, demonstrate the regeneration of bone, neuronal and liver cells, thereby leading to a multitude of therapeutic possibilities.

Third Molars or Wisdom Teeth

The results of the study demonstrate the presence of DPPSCs in the dental pulp of the third molars (wisdom teeth), although the percentage of DPPSCs decreases with age. For the study, the team has used wisdom teeth, since they are the last teeth to develop in humans, are normally in an earlier stage of development, and are capable of providing an optimal quantity of dental pulp tissue for the isolation of adult pluripotent-like stem cells. Furthermore, the third molars often have to be extracted due to problems with their eruption, so they are ideal for possible tissue banking. It has been observed that these cells are always present in the dental pulp, and it has thus been concluded that it is always possible to isolate the cells regardless of age. The team has successfully isolated the cells in adults between ages 14 and 60.

The UIC has patented a method for extracting these dental pulp stem cells, a system that does not cause problems and does not present chromosomal abnormalities or structural changes during culture and after differentiation in different tissues, a fact which is very important for its application as a cellular tissue-regeneration therapy. Furthermore, it is especially significant that it deals with adult cells, thus avoiding rejection when they are transplanted, since the cells are extracted from the same individual who is to receive the treatment, which does not raise any ethical issues. Thus, the third molar is not merely a tooth, but an organ in and of itself.

Transfer

Based on the results, the research team intends, in a second clinical phase, to explore new paths toward future studies in regenerative medicine with easily accessible cells (like DPPSCs) with pluripotent regenerative capacity. For the moment, a science-to-industry transfer has taken place, given that the quality of biomaterials in products and medications is being evaluated through an agreement signed with the Israeli company MIS Implants Technologies Ltd., within the framework of the recently created MIS/UIC Chair in Regenerative Implantology.

Research Team and Resources

The research team currently working on the study consists of Dr. Maher Atari (PI), Dr. Lluís Giner, and doctoral degree candidates Carlos Gil and Esther Martínez. Essential roles in the process were also played by former UIC Vice Rector for Research Núria Durany, who passed away in 2010; Dr. Núria Casals, the Director of the Pharmacology Area; Dr. Federico Hernández-Alfaro; Dr. Ignacio Segarra of the Faculty of Dentistry; and Dr. Miquel Cortada, the first Dean of the Faculty.

The study was conducted at the UIC’s Dentistry Research Laboratory and has received the support of the laboratories of CIMA and the Clinic of the University of Navarra thanks to the support of researchers Miguel Barajas and Felipe Prósper. The UIC has also benefitted from services provided by the Universitat de Barcelona and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.