Stem Cell Treatment for Osteoarthritis of Knee Joint

Stem cell therapy is a technique that relies on the concept that stem cells can be grown into cartilage cells and tissues that are capable of repairing the damage caused to various parts of the body.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative condition of cartilage loss. It is the leading cause of knee joint pain and disability among the elderly and affects over 10 million people in the US. Over the last few years, several methods have been developed techniques to trepair the damaged cartilage of the knee joint .

Scientists at the University of Bristol report some success with stem cell therapy for the treatment of osteoarthritis damage in knees.

Treatment of Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis can be managed with exercises, weight control, rest, pain relief, alternative therapies and surgery.

Similarly, according to scientists at the Cardiff University, stem cells can be turned into cartilage cells and this cartilage can be transplanted in an affected joint.

Stem cells can be obtained from:

• Embryonic stem cells

About Stem Cells
Encyclopedia section of medindia gives general info about Stem Cells

• Normal healthy volunteers

• Autologous stem cells are obtained from bone marrow in the iliac crest of the same individual.

Researchers Hope To Mend Torn Knee Cartilage Using Stem Cells
Scientists in Scotland are planning to test a new technique of knitting together torn knee tissue using stem cells in patients.

These British scientists have concluded that osteoarthritis does not stop the cell regeneration process, so knee cartilage injuries can be effectively repaired by tissue engineering.

The study has proved that engineered cartilage tissue formed from the stem cells can grow and mature when implanted into patients with a knee injury. Therefore the scientists believe that the tissue engineering approach can be beneficial for cartilage regeneration even in knees affected by osteoarthritis.

Stem Cells - The Foundation to Rebuild Joints
Stem cells from the patient are being used by scientists to rebuild a natural joint when replacing a hip or a knee.

ARC Professor of Rheumatology & Tissue Engineering at the Bristol University, Anthony Hollander said that tissue-engineered cartilage implanted into knees showing signs of osteoarthritis can mature within a year after implantation.

Professor Anthony Hollander and his team have been successful in autologous stem cell transplant i.e. growing human cartilage from a patient's own stem cells. Implanting such cartilages grown from the stem cells of the same person avoids immune rejection problems.

Successful repair of osteoarthritis cartilage damage depends on its ability to form a matrix within the joint.

During the study some patients did not benefit from this treatment. According to Professor Hollander the reason why not all patients benefited from the engineered cartilage is not yet totally clear. But he believes that giving the engineered tissue a longer time to settle in may be helpful.

Older patients with osteoarthritis have cartilage that is less responsive to stem cell stimulation. Their stem cells respond less to usual growth factors.

Scientists used stem cells obtained from the bone marrow. It took about a month to grow these stem cells into a cartilage of half-inch length.

An American team of scientists is also studying a stem cell approach using a single donor for multiple patients.

With multiple teams doing human clinical trials in this area the development of successful joint repair using stem cell therapies is not a distant prospect.

Source-Medindia