Researchers at the University of York in the United Kingdom, along with research colleagues at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, have identified individual stem cells that can regenerate tissue, cartilage, and bone, according to a study published June 9 in Stem Cell Reports.
Lead researcher Paul Genever, PhD, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Biology, and Head of the York site of the Arthritis Research UK Tissue Engineering Centre, said, “While stem cell therapy is an exciting new development for the treatment for osteoarthritis, up to now it has been something of a lottery because we did not know the precise properties of each of the cells.”
Paul Genever, PhD
The study authors isolated individual marrow stromal cells and analyzed their different properties. This allowed the researchers to identify stem cells that are capable of repairing damaged cartilage or joint tissue. The York team also isolated a rare subset of stem cells in bone marrow that, while having no capability for tissue repair, appeared to have a prominent role in immune function.
“This project has helped us to establish which cells are good at regenerating tissue, cartilage, and bone, respectively. It will help in the search to develop more targeted therapies for arthritis patients, ” stated Dr. Genever.
Coauthor James Fox, PhD, said, “Working with colleagues across the Arthritis Research UK Tissue Engineering Centre will help to bring our discovery closer to patient treatment.”