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Stem cells aid against joint damage
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Stem cells aid against joint damage

2008-04-14
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Next year could see a stem cell treatment which repairs the damage caused by osteoarthritis tested on patients.

Next year could see a stem cell treatment which repairs the damage caused by osteoarthritis tested on patients.

The technique, which uses a patient's own stem cells to replace lost cartilage, is already being tried out on goats.

If the results are positive, there are plans to conduct a pilot clinical trial involving about 20 patients.

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.

In some cases cartilage-producing cells called chondrocytes can be transplanted from surrounding healthy tissue into the damaged area.

However, such repairs are not highly successful because only a few new cells can be generated.

The new approach involves taking stem cells that are programmed to become chondrocytes and growing them in the laboratory until they number in their millions.

Professor Charlie Archer, from the Cardiff School of Biosciences, who is leading the research, said: "There are limitations in trying to transplant a patient's existing cartilage cells, but by culturing it from a resident stem cell we believe we can overcome this limitation."

Copyright © The Press Association 2008


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