Hope on the horizon for osteoarthritis

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Recent research in London, England has enabled scientists to pinpoint a stem cell treatment that may offer relief to patients suffering from a type of arthritis known as osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis is typically caused by a loss of cartilage that helps to restrict joint friction with movement. This new technique uses stem cells to help re-create or replace this lost cartilage that is often caused by age, sports injuries, and runners knee. To date, this treatment has not been tested on humans, though it has been tested on goats.

Chondrocytes are a type of stem cell they can be transformed into cartilage cells. Scientists hope that creating a sufficient amount of these new chondrocytes will help to relieve the pain and loss of mobility that many patients afflicted with osteoarthritis suffer on a daily basis.

To date, about twenty patients have been chosen to conduct clinical trials at Cardiff University. The technique will use a patient's own stem cell to replace their own lost cartilage. "There are limitations in trying to transplant a patient's existing cartilage cells. But, by culturing it from a resident stem cell, we believe we can overcome this limitation," said Professor Charlie Archer. "This research could have real benefits for arthritis sufferers and especially younger, active patients with cartilage lesions that can progress to whole scale osteoarthritis," he said.

The new treatment trials will require the stem cells be reprogrammed to become cartilage-producing cells, which are then grown in a laboratory.

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