A study involving stem cell therapy for knee osteoarthritis is being planned for the end of the year in the United Kingdom. According to BBC News, researchers from Keele University will study up to 70 people as part of a 5-year research program. The trial is being funded by Arthritis Research UK and will be conducted at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital in Oswestry, Shropshire.
The patient's cartilage cells (chondrocytes) and bone marrow stem cells (mesenchymal stem cells) will be removed and grown in a lab (cultured) to be reimplanted at the site of cartilage damage in the knee. Some patients will receive cartilage cells, some will receive stem cells, and the others will receive a mix. The newly formed cartilage that develops after reimplantation will be tested over a period of a year for quality. While chondrocytes have been grown in a lab and re-injected into knees with cartilage damage before, it is still experimental as an osteoarthritis treatment -- and researchers are interested in the potential of combining chondrocytes and stem cells. The treatment, even if successful, is a long way from becoming routine.
Related Resources:
- All About Cartilage
- What Is Cartilage Loss?
- 10 Things You Should Know About Cartilage
- What Causes Cartilage Degeneration?
- Is Cartilage Regeneration an Option for Osteoarthritis?
Join the Discussion:
Photo by © A.D.A.M.
i suffer with osteoarthritis of the knee and will need to have the cartlage replaced.i would like to join a trial using stem cells to replace the cartridge.please put my name on the shropshire hospital list.my contacts are 01617667347 0r 07944627699 and my address is 7 eskdale close,bury,greater manchester,bl9 8hx.i wait in anticipation.yours faithfully leonard black
August 2012: I too would like to enter your trial. I have had arthroscopy on both knees in the last year, and am still looking for a resolution to continued pain when walking.