Tooth Stem Cell Banking Landmark: The 7th Anniversary Of BioEden Mexico

27/06/2016

How long do you think modern medicine has known there are stem cells in your teeth?

A few weeks? Months? Or maybe even a year or two?

Well, if you took a hint from the title and guessed 7 years you’d be on the right track. But to get to the real answer, try adding another 9 years and heading back to the very start of the 21st century.

In the year 2000 a major breakthrough in dental and medical history was achieved when Growths et al identified and isolated stem cells from the “tooth pulp” of our teeth. These cells became referred to as dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs).

This soft region at the centre of our teeth contains nerves, cells, and blood vessels. Researchers noticed that, when a tooth becomes damaged, these cells activate and get to work making restorative tissues. Through mapping the process in mice, they began to understand how this mechanism works and discovered that the nerves in the pulp are the source of the stem cells.

Fast track to 2016 and the whole field of healthcare is changing in response to the advancement of areas such as this one, which are allowing us to take a more personalised approach to diagnosing and treating disease and illness.

Celebrating A Pioneer In Genomics and Stem Cell Therapy

As an early adopter of personalised medicine—particularly genomics research—Mexico has long been aware of the benefits of tooth stem cells. And this year, we’re proud to be celebrating the 7th anniversary of BioEden Mexico—the longest running and most established tooth stem cell bank in the country.

Their offices located in Monterrey, Guadalajara, and the capital Mexico City provide a nationwide service, serving thousands of BioEden members and affiliated medical professionals.

Mexico is certainly making a name for itself as a pioneer in the field of stem cell research. Several years ago BioEden Mexico put together the team that performed the first ever tooth stem cell transplant for facial bone regeneration in Latin America, and more recently organised the first ever treatment of type 1 diabetes using a patients stem cells from their own teeth.

Despite a major challenge to recruit and retain well-trained human resources, initiatives such as the National Institute of Genomic Medicine or INMEGEN, established in Mexico City in 2004, are working wonders in linking genomic research to improving national health problems. They set up The Mexican Genome Diversity Project to map the genomes of the incredibly diverse population, composed of European, American, and African ancestries, and in doing so, have managed to build strong relationships with leading institutions like the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

Other similar organisations have cropped up over the years such as Genomica Medica in Mexico City, which focuses on translating complex scientific discoveries into simple and affordable solutions.

There’s currently a window of opportunity to join the world’s leading countries and institutions in their move towards more personalised and preventive clinical practice. Those who join early will become part of this group, benefiting from support in the form of funding, connections, and resources, but for those who fail to, there’ll be a lot of expensive catching up to do.

BioEden Mexico are fully expected to continue on as leaders in stem cell research and be behind many future breakthroughs. The possibilities of what they might achieve by their next anniversary are endless.

BioEden is the world’s first specialised tooth stem cell bank. Visit our website today to find out how you can safeguard your children’s future health by storing stem cells from their milk teeth.