Tooth cell banking for the treatment of future diseases

Sep 25 2009

Pioneered by BioEDEN, tooth cell banking is a safe, natural and wholly non-invasive method of collecting and preserving precious stem cells which could hold the key to children's health.

BioEDEN, headquartered at Daresbury Science & Innovation Centre near Warrington, is the world's first company to collect, assess and cryogenically store living tooth cells retrieved from children's baby or 'milk' teeth. BioEDEN have laboratories in Warrington, England and Austin Texas, USA.

Specialising in the preservation of tooth stem cells, BioEDEN's process is non invasive and painless. When a tooth falls out naturally, or is extracted by a dentist, the tooth is placed into a special container and packaging and is sent to the BioEDEN laboratory. When the tooth is received at the laboratory scientists work swiftly to collect the cellular material. The cells' health and viability is confirmed to ensure suitability future treatment and thereafter they are cryogenically stored. Every cell batch is divided into two separate samples and each sample is then cryopreserved in a separate location for additional insurance.

Unlike alternative stem cell collection methodologies, the BioEDEN process does not require any form of medical intervention or the taking of any drugs. Additionally the BioEDEN process, when compared to cord blood collection for example, offers more than a one-off opportunity to collect these precious cells. Stem cells can be collected from almost any baby tooth and from some wisdom teeth.

Many researchers believe that the stem cells found in baby teeth represent one of the best sources of stem cells. They believe that tooth stem hold the potential to treat conditions such as Type 1 diabetes, neuronal degenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's disease, cardiovascular disease, paralysis due to spinal cord injury, liver disease, stroke, heart attack, joint bone repair and many others.

"BioEDEN's process is ground breaking," says Managing Director, Jim Curtis. "It's my belief that stem cells and stem cell therapy offer the most exciting future for the treatment and cure of many of today's most prevalent and debilitating illnesses and diseases."

"Tooth cell banking is a proactive decision that more and more parents and families are taking today in order to secure their children's future health," he added.

http://www.bioeden.com/content/uk/en/home.php