Scientists use Dental Stem Cells in First Successful Human Transplant

WARRINGTON, UNITED KINGDOM--(Marketwire - Dec. 15, 2009) - BioEDEN, the world-leader in dental stem cell extraction and storage, is celebrating the first successful human medical trial using stem cells from teeth.

Scientists at The Second University of Naples, Italy have successfully used stem cells taken from dental pulp found in teeth to create new bone tissue and graft it onto a human jaw. The success yields a vast number of medical possibilities for dental stem cells, and for those people who store them for future use.

BioEDEN, based in Daresbury, Cheshire, with laboratory facilities in Austin Texas, and Bangkok Thailand, holds the global patent for the extraction, cryopreservation and storage of dental stem cells for medical use. BioEDEN stores stem cells found in children's milk teeth, with the hope that one day they will save the donor's life by being able to repair damaged or diseased tissue.

"For BioEDEN, this achievement is an immaculate demonstration of how vital dental stem cells will come to be in the future of medicine," said Jim Curtis, Managing Director of BioEDEN. "This is the first time dental stem cell research has moved from the laboratory to human medical trials, and the announcement is truly groundbreaking. It opens up a great deal of medical hope for the future."

Professor Claire Stewart, a world-leading specialist in Cellular and Molecular Biology at Manchester Metropolitan University, is impressed by the details of the report, published in the latest edition of European Cells and Materials Journal. "The supporting theories concerning dental stem cells - backed up by initial clinical trials - are promising," said Professor Stewart. "This medical trial presents evidence that dental stem cells may become a promising tool in modern medicine."

BioEDEN developed its world-leading stem cell extraction process shortly after it was discovered that children's teeth are a rich source of mesanchymal stem cells, which can be used to grow tissue such as muscle and bone. BioEDEN's patented method allows for a large quantity of stem cells to be extracted and stored reliably, so that they can be used at any point during the donor's life.

To find out more about BioEDEN, visit http://www.bioeden.com/

Editors notes:

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.

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.