Dentigenix Options Regenerated-Tooth Technology.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 19, 2002

Agreement with major Boston biomedical institutions could lead to

commercialization; has implications for future of dentistry and

related industries

Dentigenix(TM), LLC, announced today that it has been granted an exclusive option by three Boston biomedical institutions--The Forsyth Institute, Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM)/Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)--to further the development of a technology that could lead to commercialization of a method for regenerating teeth from an individual's own cells.

The technology is based on novel tissue engineering techniques developed and successfully used at Forsyth to bioengineer porcine tooth crowns. The research team, led by Pamela Yelick, PhD, a member of the Forsyth staff and an instructor in oral and developmental biology at HSDM, has predicted that the techniques could be ready for clinical testing in seven to ten years.

"This agreement is an important step in the development of a technology that could, potentially, transform dentistry and the industries related to it, " said Christopher Somogyi, chairman and chief executive officer of Dentigenix, an early stage company dedicated to bringing the advances of tissue engineering and regeneration to dentistry and craniofacial restoration. "A biological tooth is inherently preferable to an artificial replacement because it would be natural and alive and would provide the feel and performance of the original tooth."

Joseph P. Vacanti, MD, director of the Laboratory for Tissue Engineering and Organ Fabrication at MGH is a co-inventor of the technology. He has said that by combining the new science of stem cell biology with the engineering concepts and techniques of tissue engineering, the work conducted in the Yelick lab demonstrates that complex structures such as living teeth can be created.

In the words of R. Bruce Donoff, DMD, MD, Dean of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, which provided seed funding for the research: "The creation of a biologic tooth is the long-term goal of the Harvard Center for Craniofacial Tissue Engineering. This exciting work brings that goal closer to reality and promises to advance tissue engineering in oral health. The Harvard School of Dental Medicine is proud to be part of Dentigenix's program."

Dominick P. DePaola, DDS, PhD, president and CEO of Forsyth said, "We look forward to working with Dentigenix on its promising initiative aimed at bringing a technology for bioengineering human teeth to market. Success in this exciting new arena could, potentially, help a myriad of individuals who have lost or missing teeth and might well revolutionize many fields of oral health." Forsyth is an independent, nonprofit research organization focused on oral, craniofacial and related biomedical science.

Dentigenix is an early-stage company involved in integrating chemical and biological approaches to regeneration and remineralization of dental, oral and craniofacial tissues. Its goal is to develop and commercialize novel therapies for a variety of dental and oral conditions.