Stem cells have the potential to revolutionize treatment for a wide array of diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, though harvesting enough of them for beneficial use and keeping them viable until they are needed presents significant challenges. So, researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), have developed an efficient technique for taking these cells from a common source—wisdom teeth.

Stem cells. Few research discoveries hold as much promise of single-handedly expanding medical treatment options as they do. Miraculously able to act as transformers—either re-creating or morphing into a variety of cell types found within the organisms they originate from—stem cells offer humanity hope for new, more effective therapies against a number of chronic and terminal diseases. And finding them is surprisingly easy.

“Stem cells can be extracted from nearly any living tissue,” said Dr. James Mah, director of UNLV’s advanced education program in orthodontics, doctor of dental surgery, and dental researcher. “In fact, stem cells can even be found in tissues of the deceased.”

Meet Dr. Tina Brandon Abbatangelo. She’s the director of the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She’s an animal dentist who learned her chops from the father of that field. Oh by the way, she was named Ms. Nevada 2016.

What sounds a bit like science fiction is everyday hospital reality for Verma - and she's not the only one. Physician and researcher James Mah of the University of Nevada in Las Vegas, for example, creates virtual 3D copies of patients, as he explained at the AAAS conference.

In 2010, a middle-aged Texan man named Billy Crawford went to hospital to check out an odd black dot on his nose.

James Mah, DDS, MSc, DMSc, has been appointed as chief technology officer to help develop improved treatment protocols, training resources, and brand-new products to be unveiled in 2014.