TRG-035 Passed Phase I Safety Trials At Kyoto University Without Serious Adverse Events And Has Raised $5.3 Million For Phase II Targeting Children And Adults Who Lost Teeth
According to BBC Future, scientists in Japan are advancing a drug that could replace dental implants entirely by activating dormant tooth buds that humans carry throughout life, triggering the growth of real biological teeth without surgery.
Kyoto University Hospital launched the first human trial of an experimental drug named TRG-035, developed by Dr Katsu Takahashi’s team. TRG-035 works by neutralising a protein called USAG-1 that prevents the development of a third set of teeth, allowing dormant tooth buds to grow into functional teeth without surgical implantation.
The drug began human testing at Kyoto University Hospital in October 2024. Phase I trials involved healthy adults with at least one missing tooth and were designed to assess safety. The trials concluded without serious adverse events. In May 2026, Toregem announced a Pre-Series C financing round to support Phase II clinical trials of TRG035 in Japan, raising approximately $5.3 million.
Scientists at Tufts University recently created biological replacement teeth using a combination of human and porcine cells implanted into miniature pigs. The resulting teeth developed dentin and cementum; the same hard tissues found in natural teeth; suggesting biological substitutes may integrate with the jaw more naturally than implants.
Following the clinical trials, the research team plans to have the medicine ready for general use in 2030.
The WHO estimates that 7% of adults over 20 have lost all their teeth, rising to 23% among those over 60. A single dental implant currently costs between $3,000 and $6,000. A drug that grows real teeth from biology rather than titanium screws doesn’t just change dentistry — it changes the economics of tooth loss for the world’s elderly.
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