Cartilage tissue obtained from stem cells was successfully transplanted into the joints of rats. A study has been published that could form the basis of a new and effective treatment for osteoarthritis. Annals of Rheumatic Diseases (ARD).
About one in seven adults suffers from osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease. Treatment is limited due to the inability of cartilage to repair itself after injury. Therefore, most treatments aim to eliminate symptoms.
In a new study, scientists harvested rat cartilage tissue from stem cells and used it to repair damaged tissue in the animals’ joints. Scientists are now preparing to test this procedure on large mammals and then on patients with osteoarthritis without severe joint degeneration.
The team also successfully created human cartilage tissue using stem cells from two patients with a genetic disease that causes severe early joint degeneration.
The procedure developed by scientists is reminiscent of an advanced treatment for osteoarthritis that has recently begun to be used in practice: implantation of autologous chondrocytes. In this process, cartilage precursor cells are collected from a healthy part of the body, grown in the laboratory, and then implanted in the damaged area. In this case, the patient requires two surgical procedures. The new method will make it possible to obtain cartilage in advance and then insert it into the joint without the need for surgery. This will allow patients to avoid unnecessary surgery, receive treatment faster and return to their normal lives.
Previous scientists I learnedIt is stated that urinary incontinence in the elderly can increase the risk of fracture by more than three times.