Regeneration of Gum Tissue Through Gene Therapy

Gums, which is also known as gingiva, is the mucosal tissue that wraps around the alveolar bone to provide a seal to our teeth. Healthy gums have a firm texture that protects against movement. However, our gums tend to wear out due to periodontal diseases (such as gingivitis) and also as we age.

As we are emerging into an era with modern technology, worn-out gums issues could be solved by applying the concept of gene therapy and tissue engineering. Gene therapy is a method that uses genes to treat or prevent a disease either by replacing a mutated gene that causes the disease with a healthy copy of the gene, inactivating a mutated gene or introducing a new gene into the body.

According to the article published on ScienceDaily (2009), the study that has been conducted by scientists at University of Michigan, has led to a revolutionary breakthrough by developing a safe method to regenerate the gum tissues. In this therapy, an adenovirus is used in the local application and at a much lower dose. The paste form of adenovirus encoding the PDGF-B gene (AdPDGF-B) is delivered in a collagen matrix on the periodontal lesions during the surgery.

Figure 1: The microcomputed tomographic image of regenerated gums from PDGF gene therapy.

This platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) gene therapy is safe and eases the negative reactions within the body as it is done topically instead of injecting into the bloodstream and having it distributed throughout the whole body.


References :
University of Michigan. "Gene Therapy Appears Safe To Regenerate Gum Tissue." ScienceDaily 8 April 2009. 11 May 2009 . (http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2009/04/090407145210.htm)

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