Dental stem cells differentiated into dystrophin-producing muscle cells

Latest study advances muscular dystrophy research and treatment

NEW YORK, NY, Nov. 5, 2010 – Dental stem cells, in the latest example of their plasticity, were differentiated into dystrophin-producing multi-nucleated muscle cells. The research, published recently in PLoS One was led by Dr. Jeremy Mao, professor and director of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Laboratory (TERML) of Columbia University Medical Center.

Dr. Mao’s utilization of myogenic progenitor cells derived from dental stem cells demonstrated significantly higher numbers of dystrophin-producing cells than the parent heterogeneous stem cells from which they were derived. The latest research suggests therapeutic potential for muscle regeneration and has implications for disorders such as muscular dystrophy where the inability of the body to produce dystrophin results in health complications.

The latest research, along with recently published research demonstrating the ability of dental stem cells to differentiate into bone, myocardiocytes (heart muscle), and insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells, supports the wisdom of banking stem cells from teeth.

According to Art Greco, CEO of StemSave, “The inherent plasticity (the ability to differentiate into different types of cells) of dental stem cells makes them valuable as a source of stem cells to treat a potentially wide range of disease and trauma. These valuable stem cells can be recovered during routine dental procedures, making it both convenient and affordable to bank your own stem cells for use in emerging regenerative therapies.”

StemSave, Inc., provides an affordable and noninvasive method for the recovery and cryo-preservation of the powerful adult stem cells found in teeth by teaming up with dentists to harvest stem cells during routine dental procedures. For more information, visit www.StemSave.com.