Hope for osteoarthritis sufferers
April 11, 2008
A stem cell treatment which repairs the damage caused by
osteoarthritis could be tested on patients as early as next year.
The British-developed technique, which uses a patient's own stem
cells to replace lost cartilage, is already being tried out on goats.
If the results live up to expectations, there are plans to conduct a
pilot clinical trial involving about 20 patients.
Researchers believe that with further work the treatment could be in
widespread use in less than five years.
Osteoarthritis, which affects more than two million people in the UK,
happens when the cartilage which acts as a protective cushion for
joints becomes thin and wears out.
The ends of bones may grate together, leading to severe pain and
deformation of the joint. Osteoarthritis typically affects the
fingers, knees, hips and spine. It may occur as a side effect of
normal ageing, or be triggered by injury or excessive activity.
Current treatment is mainly confined to alleviating the pain and
inflammation associated with the disease.
The new approach involves taking stem cells that are programmed to
become cartilage-producing cells called chondrocytes and growing them
in the laboratory until they number in their millions.
When these stem cells are implanted into damaged joints, they should
respond to the environment around them and transform into
chondrocytes. These would then begin to produce a lot of fresh new
cartilage.
http://ukpress.
The research has been led by scientists at the University of Cardiff
funded by the Arthritis Research Campaign.
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StemCells subscribers may also be interested in these sites:
Children's Neurobiological Solutions
http://www.CNSfoundation.org/
Cord Blood Registry
http://www.CordBlood.com/at.cgi?a=150123
The CNS Healing Group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CNS_Healing
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