2018 年 41 巻 2 号 p. 46-50
Tissue engineering research using stem cells such as iPS cells has been progressing and clinical trials of iPS cell-derived tissues for patients with Parkinsonism and retinal disease are now being conducted. In the field of dentistry too, research on regeneration using oral tissue-derived stem cells is underway all over the world. In particular, it was recently reported that mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs), as well as their role in regenerative medicine, have the ability to heal damaged cells and tissues. Our previous study indicated that systemic administration of MSCs enhanced the healing of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw and the healing of soft tissue around dental implants.
In addition to cells, tissue engineering requires scaffolds and bioactive factors. The present article introduces recently-released scaffolds such as carbonate apatite and octacalcium phosphate/collagen composite. The application of low-molecular compound for possible bone tissue engineering is also reported. Finally, we discuss the present state of tissue engineering in Japan.