Muscle Stem Cells Used For Cartilage Repair
BY DAVID KRESSEL, JANUARY 31, 2006
In an article published in February's Arthritis and Rheumatism, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh reported on their success in using stem cells to repair cartilage.
Using a rat model, researchers extracted stem cells from adult muscle tissue, retrovirally transduced the cells to produce BMP-4, and then reimplanted them in an osteochondral defect. The implanted cells developed into cartilage, and results at 24 weeks have been excellent, according to the article.
Although only demonstrated in rats so far, the scientists expect this move into human clinical trials at some point. This would be an exciting application for stem cells that wouldn't touch off an ethics debate. That said, given the pace of moving a new procedure from animal tests to commercial launch, plus the minimal revenue impact to date of repair systems that involve harvesting and reimplanting patient tissue, it remains to be seen how much of an impact this procedure would have.
