Bone Growth Breakthrough
By tony leather, 15th Jun 2012 | Follow this author
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Posted in WikinutNewsScience
A development opening the path toward broken bones repair or even replacement with entire new structures - grown outside the body - from the cells of patients involved.
Bone Growth Breakthrough
Researchers at the Irael-based Technion Institute have grown, in a laboratory, human bone from stem cells, a development opening the path toward broken bones repair or even replacement with entire new structures - grown outside the body - from the cells of patients involved.
The team began with stem cells from fat tissue, and it took about a month to grow these into fully-formed living human bone sections as long as a couple of inches. First patients trials should be conducted later this year, by that same biotechnology company.
Scientific advisory board head for Bonus BioGroup, professor Avinoam Kadouri commented that there is a great need for artificial bones for injuries and in operations, ant that they had used 3D structures to ensure the growingtbone had the right shape and geometry. Growing them outside the body, for transplant to the patient at the right time, is an excellent method.
Earlier scanning to damaged bone areas helps ensure that the implant fits perfectly as it merges with surrounding cells, no problems with rejection arising, because the implant cells came from the patient involved. This technology builds gel-like scaffolds matching damaged bone shape from scans.
It is the use of mesenchymal stem cells - with the capacity to develop into many other types of body cell in the body - obtained via fat liposuction from the patient, which enable this ground-breaking procedure. The harvested cells are then grown into living bone - on the gel-scaffold - within an automated machine providing the right conditions.
Some animals have, already, received successful bone transplants, the scientists able to insert nearly 1in of laboratory-grown human bone into the mid-section of a rat leg bone, seeing it successfully merge with the animal bone remaining.
Ultimately, this procedure will allow doctors to replace damaged bones without the need for bone grafts, of which, in the UK alone, a quarter of a million are carried out every year. Work is, apparently, also underway
to grow the soft cartilage at the ends of bones, needed if entire bones are to be laboratory produced.
This could save the patient having to - as now- undergo two traumatic operations, the new technique reducing the risk of rejection by using cells from the patient's own body. Bonus BioGroup hope in future to develop technology provide replacements for damaged joints like hips, using the same type of technology on a larger scale.
Keele University regenerative medicine group head - professor Alicia El Haj - has been involved in clinical trials. It seems that adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells are actually much less commonly used medically, despite being easier to obtain, and cells that can be used to repair bone in this way represent an important step forward.
Researchers at the Irael-based Technion Institute have grown, in a laboratory, human bone from stem cells, a development opening the path toward broken bones repair or even replacement with entire new structures - grown outside the body - from the cells of patients involved.
The team began with stem cells from fat tissue, and it took about a month to grow these into fully-formed living human bone sections as long as a couple of inches. First patients trials should be conducted later this year, by that same biotechnology company.
Scientific advisory board head for Bonus BioGroup, professor Avinoam Kadouri commented that there is a great need for artificial bones for injuries and in operations, ant that they had used 3D structures to ensure the growingtbone had the right shape and geometry. Growing them outside the body, for transplant to the patient at the right time, is an excellent method.
Earlier scanning to damaged bone areas helps ensure that the implant fits perfectly as it merges with surrounding cells, no problems with rejection arising, because the implant cells came from the patient involved. This technology builds gel-like scaffolds matching damaged bone shape from scans.
It is the use of mesenchymal stem cells - with the capacity to develop into many other types of body cell in the body - obtained via fat liposuction from the patient, which enable this ground-breaking procedure. The harvested cells are then grown into living bone - on the gel-scaffold - within an automated machine providing the right conditions.
Some animals have, already, received successful bone transplants, the scientists able to insert nearly 1in of laboratory-grown human bone into the mid-section of a rat leg bone, seeing it successfully merge with the animal bone remaining.
Ultimately, this procedure will allow doctors to replace damaged bones without the need for bone grafts, of which, in the UK alone, a quarter of a million are carried out every year. Work is, apparently, also underway
to grow the soft cartilage at the ends of bones, needed if entire bones are to be laboratory produced.
This could save the patient having to - as now- undergo two traumatic operations, the new technique reducing the risk of rejection by using cells from the patient's own body. Bonus BioGroup hope in future to develop technology provide replacements for damaged joints like hips, using the same type of technology on a larger scale.
Keele University regenerative medicine group head - professor Alicia El Haj - has been involved in clinical trials. It seems that adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells are actually much less commonly used medically, despite being easier to obtain, and cells that can be used to repair bone in this way represent an important step forward.
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