Using Adult Stem Cells to Generate Knee Cartilage
A Science Daily article entitled System For Expanding Stem Cells To Form Cartilage Tissue Under Development offers hope to those suffering knee pain because of lost or damaged knee cartilage. Surgical procedures have been used to treat the problem but there are many disadvantages to surgery and current treatment options. Quoting from the article:
"Knee osteoarthritis affects 30 million people worldwide, causing pain and joint stiffness and in severe cases restricted mobility. The limited ability of this tissue to repair itself means that surgical intervention is usually required and over 600,000 surgical procedures are performed each year in the US.
Professor Mohamed Al-Rubeai, currently a UCD Professor of Biochemical Engineering and principal investigator with the Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology and UCD Conway Institute has developed an economical tissue engineering approach which could offer new possibilities for restoring damaged or lost knee cartilage tissue."
One of the current options is to grow tissue in vitro from mature cartilage cells obtained from a patient. Following cell multiplication a transplant operation would take place. The entire strategy necessitates two operations and is expensive.
A newer approach involves using adult stem cells to grow new tissue. It has the advantage of enabling greater production of cartilage tissue and lowering costs.
"Knee osteoarthritis affects 30 million people worldwide, causing pain and joint stiffness and in severe cases restricted mobility. The limited ability of this tissue to repair itself means that surgical intervention is usually required and over 600,000 surgical procedures are performed each year in the US.
Professor Mohamed Al-Rubeai, currently a UCD Professor of Biochemical Engineering and principal investigator with the Centre for Synthesis and Chemical Biology and UCD Conway Institute has developed an economical tissue engineering approach which could offer new possibilities for restoring damaged or lost knee cartilage tissue."
One of the current options is to grow tissue in vitro from mature cartilage cells obtained from a patient. Following cell multiplication a transplant operation would take place. The entire strategy necessitates two operations and is expensive.
A newer approach involves using adult stem cells to grow new tissue. It has the advantage of enabling greater production of cartilage tissue and lowering costs.
posted by Paul at 5:29 PM
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