What is it about?
Cartilage is the shock absorbing material that lines all joints and allows smooth and pain free gliding motion. When cartilage becomes damaged bones rub on bones and cause pain and stiffness known as arthritis. This paper is an extremely comprehensive look at the role stem cells have in cartilage repair and regeneration and covers all the evidence from animal studies through to the latest human trials.
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Why is it important?
Many published reviews on cartilage repair only list current clinical trials, underestimating the wealth of basic sciences and animal studies that are precursors to future research. We therefore set out to perform a systematic review of the literature to assess the translation of stem cell therapy to explore what research had been carried out at each of the stages from bench-top (in vitro), animal (pre-clinical) and human studies (clinical) and assemble an evidence-based cascade for the responsible introduction of stem cell therapy for cartilage defects.
Perspectives
This review offers a comprehensive assessment of the evidence behind the use of stem cells in cartilage repair and arthritis. The study reveals a major lack of connectivity between the basic science evidence and the human data that is out there and demonstrates that drivers for progress in this space are largely driven by patient demand, surgeon inquisition and a regulatory framework that is learning at the same pace as new developments take place.
Andrew Goldberg
UCL
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The use of mesenchymal stem cells for cartilage repair and regeneration: a systematic review, Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research, March 2017, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1186/s13018-017-0534-y.
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