A recent video shared on Facebook via ScienceNaturePage demonstrates the work taking place in the Mayo Clinic of Hiroshima University, Japan, where stem cells – harvested from the patient – are being tested to treat arthritic knees and other forms of knee damage.
The procedure involved taking stem cells from the patient’s bone marrow and injecting them into the knee. Results so far have reported that the treatment relieves pains, slows down further damage and can even promote the growth of new cartilage.
Researchers predict that this method will be to be able to provide effective therapy for all types of knee injury in the future including sports injuries.
Most impressively of all, scientists predict that the of harvesting stems cells from bone marrow for this procedure will eventually not be necessary, as the researchers now know how to re-programme skins cells and turn them into stem cell.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) from dental pulp also have the potential to be used in procedures such as these, whereby stored cells can be used without any need to harvest or re-programme existing cells.
