Treatment test for broken bones

Photo by http://news.bbc.co.uk
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

Healthy Weight Loss Recipes
Exercise & healthy diet - the 2 components of healthy weight loss.

Whisperinghome
Articles on home improvement, home decor, gardening,
home safety, cleaning & storage ideas, more!

Natural Health & Nutrition
Up-to-date articles on health, fitness and nutrition

Top Gambling Secrets
Here are some secrets to win any kind of gambling!

Recent Keyword Searches: how long to heal from broken foot, how long does it take for a broken ankle/leg to heal, rib fractured, inflammation weeks broken bone, how to tell if you broke a bone on upper arm by shoulder, compensation claim for broken ankle, symptoms of a rib injury, cast complications, healing time for a broken hand, broken broken bones with homeopathy

Stem cell fracture treatment showing results

Photo by ncgraphics
Australian doctors say they have had good results using adult stem cells to repair bone fractures.

The trial at Royal Melbourne Hospital involved 10 patients with leg fractures which would not heal.

Results released today show all patients treated with adult stem cells have had new bone growth, while seven patients had their fractures completely healed within six months.

Tags: health, doctors-and-medical-professionals, medical-procedures, science-and-technology , stem-cells, australia, vic, melbourne-3000

Source: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/13/2161760.htm

Healthy Weight Loss Recipes
Exercise & healthy diet - the 2 components of healthy weight loss.

Whisperinghome
Articles on home improvement, home decor, gardening,
home safety, cleaning & storage ideas, more!

Natural Health & Nutrition
Up-to-date articles on health, fitness and nutrition

Top Gambling Secrets
Here are some secrets to win any kind of gambling!

Recent Keyword Searches:

Human stem cells mend broken skull

BROKEN skulls can be repaired using cells from human embryos, scientists have shown.

Researchers were able to plug holes in the skulls of mice by transplanting the stem cells, which grew into new bone tissue.

Although at an early stage, the experiment indicated one way that human embryonic stem cells, or cells like them, might be used in practical treatments.

These stem cells are immature mother cells found in early embryos which are said to be "pluripotent" - having the potential to develop into any part of the body, barring eggs and sperm.

Scientists believe they could prove invaluable for research and may also be used to treat a range of diseases.

Replacement tissue could be grown to repair brains damaged by Parkinson's disease, patch up the pancreas to halt type 1 diabetes, or fix ailing hearts.

But destroying human embryos to extract stem cells is ethically unacceptable to many people. Recently scientists in the US and Japan succeeded in transforming ordinary skin cells into cells with the same characteristics. Ultimately it may be possible to use them for similar treatments. The latest research, at Johns Hopkins University, in Baltimore, showed it was possible using these stem cells to repair "critical-size" skull defects which would not normally heal on their own.

Scientists grew the stem cells in the laboratory, and from them derived mesenchymal precursor cells, a more developed cell type capable of giving rise to fat, cartilage, bone and muscle. These were then "seeded" into tiny three-dimensional "scaffolds" and grafted into the mouse skulls.

The scaffolds were made of a biodegradable plastic-like material and a gritty mineral called hydroxyapatite. It was hydroxapatite that directed the cells towards becoming the "intramembraneous" tissue that makes up the skull, jaw and collar bone.

When the mineral was absent, they transformed into cartilage. Under normal conditions, cartilage becomes the "endochondral" tissue found in the "long" bones of the limbs and rib cage.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/human-stem-cells-mend-broken-skull/2007/12/02/1196530481909.html

Technorati Tags:broken, skull, stem cells, repair, parkinson, mesenchymal, cartilage,
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator