Novel treatment utilizes stem cells for knee injuries

United Kingdom, November 17: Scientists from Bristol University have found a way to heal common sporting knee injury by creating a “living bandage” coming from the individual’s own stem cells.

Anthony Hollander, professor of rheumatology and tissue engineering led the team that conducted the breakthrough operation.

From their experiment, the team obtained stem cells from a patient’s bone marrow. The cells were then placed inside the tear which is held by a sponge-like scaffold created from the fibrous protein collagen. The team found out that through this method, the torn cartilage tissue can be brought together by the stem cells.

Hollander and his team will be trying out the new treatment on their first patients. He stated, "The stem cells knit across the two sides of the lesion and cause a reuniting of the two sides. We hope that in the patient we can reunite the cartilage in a strong enough way to heal the wound completely."

Jonathan Webb, a rugby player himself who had meniscal cartilage injury, became an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports injuries. He said that the stem cell treatment would provide "the opportunity to rebuild the meniscal cartilage if it cannot be repaired. It may be that the professional sportsmen, who have the most to lose, will drive the technology forward."

In Britain, meniscal cartilage injury affects about 80,000 men and women each year. A torn cartilage commonly happens to men and women in their twenties or thirties and is often a result of twisting the leg when jogging, playing football, playing rugby, horse riding or skiing.

This injury is difficult to repair and though there have been efforts to sew the torn cartilage together this is often unsuccessful. More often, professional athletes choose to have their cartilage removed to help them recover. However, this option exposes the bones in the knees putting patients at risk of developing osteoarthritis.

The cartilage works as a shock absorbent. The knee cartilage cushions the bones in the upper and lower leg and allows the bones to glide against each other without producing damage. A tear in the knee cartilage is often accompanied by pain and swelling.