US researchers investigate tooth regeneration

Dental Tribune International

Wed. 11 November 2026

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CHICAGO, US: Nearly three decades of research into the proteins involved in tooth formation have laid the groundwork for Prof. Anne George of the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) to investigate whether one of these proteins could one day help damaged teeth repair themselves. Prof. George has received a grant to further investigate dentine phosphophoryn (DPP), a protein involved in dentine mineralisation. Building on her team’s recent findings on DPP, the project will examine how DPP may protect dental pulp stem cells and support their differentiation into odontoblasts.

DPP is produced predominantly by odontoblasts and helps regulate dentine mineralisation through its interactions with calcium and collagen. Previous research by Dr George, UIC Distinguished Professor in the Department of Oral Biology at the university’s College of Dentistry, and her colleagues has also demonstrated that DPP can stimulate the differentiation of dental pulp stem cells into odontoblasts.

A significant step in this research came in 2024, when Prof. George and her colleagues found that DPP stimulated autophagy, a mechanism that enables cells to remove damaged components and recycle materials. Further experiments suggested that DPP-mediated autophagy may support the survival and differentiation of dental pulp stem cells into odontoblasts. The findings were published in the Journal of Structural Biology.

Investigating DPP’s regenerative potential

The new project has received a US$1.2 million (€1.1 million^*) grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, part of the US National Institutes of Health. Building on the 2024 findings, the researchers will investigate the molecular pathways through which DPP regulates autophagy and whether this mechanism helps protect dental pulp stem cells against stress, preserving their regenerative capacity.

The question of cell survival is particularly relevant because previous research has shown that DPP can trigger the release of calcium from stores within cells, potentially placing cells under considerable stress. As Prof. George explained in a university news release: “We think this protein may serve as a protective mechanism for cell survival.” Her team aims to establish how DPP-induced autophagy might enable the cells to continue forming healthy dental tissue throughout the life of the tooth.

To investigate this mechanism, the researchers will combine experiments involving human dental pulp stem cells with animal models. They will examine how autophagy contributes to cellular survival during inflammation and injury and whether this process can be harnessed to encourage dentine regeneration.

The longer-term objective is to develop regenerative approaches that preserve the vitality and function of damaged teeth. One potential future application could involve incorporating dentine-associated proteins into scaffolds placed within cavities to encourage new dentine formation rather than relying exclusively on conventional restorative materials. “We are trying to understand if we can use these proteins to regrow dentine,” Prof. George said.

Editorial note:

^*Calculated on the OANDA platform for 11 November 2026.

Topics:

Restorative Dentistry

Tags:

Cell based immunity Dental caries Dental research Dentine Tooth regeneration

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