OUR TECHNOLOGY

Tissue engineering

Tissue engineering is the science of manipulating cells which, when implanted into a patient, will form new tissues to replace damaged, diseased or missing organs. Although a relatively recent clinical technology, it has had significant success in the replacement of skin, bone and cartilage.

In the past, tissue engineering has been hampered by problems of rejection of tissues formed from donor cells.

However, the science has been revolutionised with the advent of stem cells. Stem cells are ‘undifferentiated’: that is, they have the potential to develop into many different tissues and organs when given the appropriate signals.

Tissue engineering of teeth

Professor Paul Sharpe and his team have discovered that stem cells could be induced to form tooth rudiments when cultured with the appropriate signals. The developing cells showed characteristic markers of tooth development in culture and this was confirmed when implanted into mice. Work is now progressing to provide proof of principle using human cells and to develop a robust and reproducible methodology for producing BioTooth^TM.

The clinical application of Odontis’ technology will be the culture and implantation of human stem cells to form living, replacement teeth in the patient. In contrast to other organs, teeth are easily accessible for tissue engineering surgery and follow-up. It is envisaged that the BioTooth^TM will also offer an important ‘test-bed’ for tissue engineering other organs.

Replacement of defective tissues and organs by tissue engineering will revolutionise medicine in this century. Odontis leads this technology in the field of tooth replacement.

Erupting incisor tooth in adult mouse maxillary following transplantation of a tooth germ.

The growth of the dental implant market is driven by a demand for better cosmetic appearance and function of replacement teeth, and increasing awareness of the technology through marketing by specialised implant clinics.

Patients require dental implants to replace teeth that are damaged, malformed, or lost due to trauma or disease (caries and periodontal disease). However the surgical implantation of synthetic implants is invasive and traumatic. In deed, for many patients, where the jaw bone has been damaged or degraded through trauma, cancer or osteoporosis, for example, implants are not an option. Odontis’ technology will allow the patient to grow his or her own, natural, replacement teeth instead of having a synthetic implant. The anticipated benefits will include less surgical trauma on implantation (a small superficial incision), the psychological benefit of ‘having one’s own teeth’, and a natural appearance and feel.

Product schematic

The Market

Damaged or missing teeth are a large and significant problem, from both the aesthetic and practical points of view. Treatment is currently by provision of dentures, bridges or synthetic implants. Dental implants are permanent or semi-permanent tooth replacements, usually consisting of a titanium post implanted in the jaw bone supporting a ceramic/porcelain crown.

The worldwide market for implant-based dental reconstruction products will approach nearly $3.5 billion by 2010, according to a study from Kalorama Information. Although the dental implant sector accounts for only about 9% of the global dental market, it is the fastest growing segment with a forecast growth rate of almost 15% (http://www.smilefinder.com/Article2152.html) .

Market Research

A large survey of dental implantologists and oral surgeons commissioned by Odontis showed an overwhelming positive response to the BioTooth^TM concept:

• 86% believe it has a future within the dental implant market
• 84% of implantologists are likely to use it when available
• In addition, publicity about the Odontis BioToothTM has generated considerable interest worldwide from both practitioners and potential patients.