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Scientists are hoping to develop the first treatment for broken bones using a patient's own stem cells.
The procedure, which would also be used to repair damaged cartilage, is being tested at Edinburgh University.
It is hoped the revolutionary technique could be used for people whose bones have either been shattered in accidents or removed because of cancer.
Although bones often mend themselves, the aim is to speed up the process and help with more serious fractures.
The stem cells are extracted from the patient's own body and under the right conditions they turn into tiny fragments of bone tissue.
The tissue is then placed in a supportive scaffold in the patient's body, where they replace the missing or damaged area.
Dr Brendon Noble, from the University of Edinburgh's MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, said: "We hope that this will kick start the body's natural healing processes, enabling cells to grow and carry out repair to the damaged area.
"Half of us have some form of orthopaedic surgery at some point in our lives.
"Although the specific group of patients who would receive the most benefit from such therapy have yet to be determined, we envisage a number of scenarios where this therapy could be used for cartilage injuries or severe fractures."
Scientists have been given almost £1.5m to develop the treatment.
Clinical trials are expected within two years.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/edinburgh_and_east/7250489.stm
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