據日本媒體報道，日本科學家將開展世界首個“牙齒再生藥物”的臨床試驗，研究人員希望這種藥物不僅能治療先天缺牙癥，最終還可以幫助后天缺牙和蛀牙患者長出新牙。

Japanese scientists are set to kick off the world's first clinical trials of "tooth regrowth medicine" at the Kyoto University Hospital, The Mainichi reports.

據日本《每日新聞》報道，日本科學家將在京都大學醫學部附屬醫院開展世界上首個“牙齒再生藥物”的臨床試驗。

Researchers from the Japanese startup Toregem Biopharma are planning to enroll patients who were born missing some or all of their teeth from birth, a condition called congenital anodontia, for the trials.

來自日本初創公司Toregem Biopharma的研究人員計劃招募一批從出生起就缺少部分或全部牙齒（先天缺牙癥）的患者參加這次試驗。

The patients will receive an antibody treatment that deactivates a protein called USAG-1, believed to stop "tooth buds," which most people have, from developing into either baby or permanent teeth.

患者將接受一種抗體治療，這種治療可以阻斷一種名為USAG-1的蛋白質，科學家認為這種蛋白質阻止了大多數人的牙蕾發育成乳牙或恒牙。

People with the condition conventionally resort to getting implants or dentures. However, Toregem's treatment could provide them with a "third option," as co-founder Katsu Takahashi explained in a statement, as quoted by Nikkei Asia.

患有先天缺牙癥的人通常選擇種植牙或假牙。然而，正如《日經亞洲》援引Toregem公司共同創始人高橋克的聲明所提到的，治療可能將為他們提供“第三種選擇”。

The team is hoping to treat not only those who haven't been able to grow teeth from birth, but eventually also those who are simply missing teeth due to cavities as well.

研究團隊希望不僅能治療那些從出生起就無法長出牙齒的人，最終還能治療那些因蛀牙而缺失牙齒的人。

A Phase 1 of the trial in September, which is designed to ensure that the treatment is safe, will involve 30 healthy male adult participants who are missing at least one back tooth. Phase 2 is tentatively scheduled for next year and will involve patients aged two to seven with congenital anodontia who are missing at least four teeth from birth.

9月份將開展的第一階段試驗旨在確保治療的安全性，將需要30名至少缺失一顆后牙的健康成年男性參與者。第二階段試驗初步計劃在明年開展，將需要招募年齡在2至7歲之間且從出生起至少缺失四顆牙齒的先天缺牙癥患者。

The team has already successfully tested the treatment in animals with no observed side effects. In 2018, the team tested the drug on ferrets, which have similar tooth buds to humans, and found that new teeth grew successfully.

研究團隊已經在動物身上成功測試了這種藥物，沒有觀察到副作用。2018年，研究團隊在牙蕾與人類相似的雪貂身上測試了這種藥物，并發現雪貂成功長出了新牙。

"The idea of growing new teeth is every dentist's dream," Takahashi told Japanese newspaper The Mainichi last year. "I've been working on this since I was a graduate student."

高橋去年曾對《每日新聞》記者說：“讓人類長出新牙齒是每個牙醫的夢想。我從研究生時期就開始研究這個了?！?/p>

英文來源：Futurism

翻譯&編輯：丹妮

審校：董靜、高琳琳