Aches and pains in your joints? You are not alone. Some 46 million Americans suffer from arthritis alone – one of more than 100 musculoskeletal disorders affecting the bones, joints and soft tissues.
But rest assured; help is on the way. Researchers and clinicians are increasingly turning to the field of regenerative medicine to help people regain their mobility, their passions and their lives.
Regenerative medicine is that burgeoning field of medicine that employs stem cells in the rebuilding of bone, cartilage, soft tissues and tendons. Stem cells come in many forms from many sources, including the patient’s own body.
Stem cells are so named because they are foundational cells that can morph into many different specific kinds of cells, depending on the body’s need. Researchers are using stem cells to regrow the soft tissues of the discs that cushion and allow rotation in the spine, replace cartilage in joints, even accelerate recovery times after surgery.
“Regenerative medicine has been around for about 30 years,” said Dr. Solomon Kamson, founder of the Spine Institute Northwest, a spine surgery center serving patients in the U.S. and Canada. “But the field is really taking off. More research money, more clinical trials – and the results are generally encouraging.”
Degenerative Disc Disease is just one of the musculoskeletal disorders Kamson commonly sees. Researchers at several institutions are working on different fronts;
• Cartilage and connective tissue. Tissue engineering of skeletal, muscle or connective tissues using natural or synthetic scaffolds together with cells and bioactive molecules to restore damaged bone, cartilage, ligaments, tendons or muscles.
• Bone biology. Biological integration of medical implants with the skeleton to achieve fusion with existing tissues and recreate normal movement of patients.
• Musculoskeletal tissue engineering. Direct application of native or engineered stem cells to rejuvenate musculoskeletal tissues, triggering tissue repair and healing.
• Physiology and bone genetics. Gene therapy to repair genetic defects that cause abnormal development or maintenance of skeletal and connective tissues.
• Stem cell therapy. Fundamental research on the biology of stem cells, skeletal development and maintenance as it relates to prevalent human skeletal diseases, such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.
Two companies, Mesoblast and Discgenics, are developing cellular therapies to treat Degenerative Disc Disease.
Mesoblast is in the clinical trial stage with a process for using mesenchymal (embryonic) precursor cells (MPC). They hope to spur growth of new cartilage by injecting the MPCs into the intervertebral discs.
Discgenics is using adult stem cells derived from disc tissue and multiplying them into cellular colonies to combat Degenerative Disc Disease.
To learn more about regenerative medicine at The Spine Institute Northwest, visit our page on regenerative therapy or call (888) 712-0318.