Stem Cell Research Leading to Regenerative Tissue Therapy

April 12, 2016 – Need hip replacement or a new knee? Well if you can wait a half decade you may be among the first to experience regenerative stem cell therapy, a repair system similar in biology to how salamanders regenerate lost limbs.

A team form the University of New South Wales in Australia recently published results of their research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Reprogramming human bone and fat cells to convert them into induced multipotent stem cells (iMS) the University team demonstrated this capability using laboratory mice as test subjects.

Lead study author, John Pimanda, a hematologist and Associate Professor, states, “We have taken bone and fat cells, switched off their memory and converted them into stem cells so they can repair different cell types once they are put back inside the body.” Human trials are to begin in 2017.

What’s involved?

For two days human fat and bone cells get exposed to 5-Azacytidine (AZA) and platelet-derived growth factor-AB. The latter continues to be used for up to three weeks. AZA induces cell plasticity which when combined with the growth factor transforms the cells into iMS. The iMS cells are then injected into damaged tissue where they multiply and promote growth and healing.

The authors of the study contend that this technique is far safer for repairing damaged bone and muscle than any other stem cell therapy. They point out that embryonic stem cells are clinically unacceptable for use in tissue repair and regeneration because of their potential to cause cancer. And other stem cell therapies requiring the use of viruses to deliver the genetic information also expose recipients to unnecessary risk. The potential represented by iMS to treat joint, back, neck, spine and muscle injury, therefore, is seen as a significant medical breakthrough.

For people like me with aging joints and a candidate for surgical replacement of my left knee I suddenly have a new nonsurgical option other than cortisone or hyaluronic acid injections. To not have to undergo surgery and a long convalescence is welcome news. I cannot wait to hear the clinical trial results over the next couple of years. I know I’m willing to wait.

To learn more about iMS and regenerative stem cell therapy view this YouTube video.