Dental pulp stem cell processing

As one of the world’s largest family stem cell banks, we first developed an industry-standard dental pulp processing method in 2011.

For us, it’s important that each client understands the process of preserving and storing their child’s dental pulp stem cells, for complete transparency and peace of mind. Our processing method ensures the highest possible cell count for every sample for effective future treatment opportunities.

Dental pulp processing method

Here we explain the processing method of every tooth sample at Future Health Biobank and how we prepare your sample for storage.

What does each tooth contain?

Teeth, particularly milk teeth, contain a valuable source of stem cells. These are found within the dental pulp at the centre of each tooth and are known as mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), similar to those found in umbilical cord tissue. At present, MSCs are being investigated in over 1,000 clinical trials to treat a range of diseases such as arthritis, type 1 diabetes and multiple sclerosis (MS).

Here at Future Health Biobank, one milk tooth usually contains enough dental pulp MSCs for successful processing and storage, should they ever be needed in future medical treatments.

Dental pulp processing method

Since the introduction of our dental pulp stem cell banking service in 2011, the scientists at Future Health Biobank have been constantly refining and improving our processing method; the cryopreservation of cultured cells.

On arrival at our laboratory, the dental pulp sample is transferred into a GMP grade^? cleanroom. In the clean room, the dental pulp is extracted from the tooth and digested with a combination of enzymes^?to release the cells from the pulp.

Once the cells have been extracted from the tissue, they are transferred into a sealed culture flask containing a growth medium,^?then incubated at 37°C to allow the cells to grow.

Once the cells have grown to the desired level, they are removed from the flask, counted, and transferred to a number of cryovials and a cryoprotectant^? solution containing DMSO (Dimethylsulphoxide)^?is added. The sample is then cooled to -150°C using a programmed controlled-rate freezer. Lastly, the samples are transferred into long-term storage below -160°C in vapour phase liquid nitrogen.

Quality control

To confirm that the stem cells been successfully stored, we carry out a number of quality control checks to make sure that they fulfil all regulatory requirements. These checks can take several weeks after the tooth has been collected, and act as a final level of reassurance on the quality of your sample.

Microbiology testing

This kind of test tells us whether or not there are any potentially harmful bacteria or yeast present in the sample. The mouth typically contains many millions of bacteria and yeast cells, with many of these living on the surface of the teeth. Whilst most will cause no harm in your mouth, they could cause harm to the stem cell sample. To prevent this, our sample collection kits contain an antimicrobial tablet^? which begins the process of removing these microbes from your sample. We continue to use antimicrobial solutions throughout processing to give the highest possible chance of producing a perfectly clean sample

Viability testing

To demonstrate that we have successfully stored your dental pulp stem cells, we remove one of the cryogenically frozen vials from storage for additional testing. The sample is thawed and the cells are transferred in to a culture flask, just as they were during the initial processing of the dental pulp.

The cells are observed under a microscope by a trained scientist to check that they are healthy and growing well. Once they have reached sufficient numbers, they are removed from the flask and are analysed by flow cytometry to confirm the presence of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).

Benefits of our unique processing method

The cryopreservation of cultured dental pulp stem cells has many benefits to the families who store them.

Typically results in several million cells

Produces enough cells for comprehensive quality control testing

Ensures sterility of the sample

Produces enough cells to store in multiple sample portions, for multiple potential treatments^?

Reduces the time taken to prepare cells for future therapies