Abraham Schneider, DDS, PhD, of the School of Dentistry is studying how metformin, a widely used and affordable drug for type 2 diabetes, also might help regenerate craniofacial bone.
Could a pill designed for blood sugar control help rebuild the human jaw?
That’s one of the questions driving Abraham Schneider, DDS, PhD, associate professor and chair of the Department of Oncology and Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry. With support from the National Institutes of Health, Schneider is studying how metformin, a widely used and affordable drug for type 2 diabetes, might also help regenerate craniofacial bone — offering a new, cost-effective strategy to treat damage caused by trauma or disease.
“We are trying to regenerate a craniofacial bone that is affected by several conditions, including periodontal disease and trauma,” Schneider said. “So, we are trying to look for new ways of regenerating bone.”
Schneider’s findings could open the door to more accessible, less invasive bone regeneration treatments. In a new video Q&A, Schneider explains how his team is repurposing metformin as a locally delivered therapy, how it triggers the expression of genes linked to bone growth and dentin formation in teeth, and why its affordability makes it such a promising option.