Every year, approximately 1.7 million people in the U.S. and Europe tear a meniscus – children and athletes are especially prone to such injuries.
But first, just what is a meniscus? It’s one of two pieces of cartilage located inside each knee, that provide a cushion between the tibia and the femur. While smaller tears can heal on their own, larger tears often require a partial or complete removal of the meniscus. Within several years, this can result in the early onset of osteoarthritis. Recently, a new type of stem cell-seeded bandage, developed at the University of Bristol, has been approved for a clinical trial on meniscal tears. It may greatly reduce the need for menisectomies.
The treatment process begins with bone marrow being extracted from the patient’s hip, using a needle. Stem cells are then grown from that bone marrow in a laboratory, and seeded onto a special membrane. That membrane is subsequently inserted into the tear, and the cartilage is sewn up around it to hold it in place. The idea is that the stem cells will proceed to become cartilage cells, and speed the regrowth of what might have otherwise been an unsalvageable meniscus.
The UK trial will see ten patients receiving the treatment, and then being monitored for a five-year period.
Related articles
- Doctors injected stem cells into pitcher Bartolo Colon’s injured arm. Does that really work? (slate.com)
- Stem Cell Treatments May Help Broken Bones Mend That Are Not Healing Properly (ducknetweb.blogspot.com)
