Today stem cell treatment has become an amazing mode of medical treatment. It has provided cure for many degenerative diseases like cancer, diabetes etc. Now, it has become successful in providing a cure for Osteoarthritis or better known as Degenerative arthritis.

Osteoarthritis is an age related arthritis. As we age, the cartilage (cushion substance between the bones of the joints) deteriorates. Cartilage prevents our bones from rubbing together, when we are in motion. It acts as a cushion or shock absorber for joint activity. As we age, water breaks down the protein that makes the cartilage, deteriorating the cushion. Severe Osteoarthritis can cause inflammation, swelling and constant pain in bones.

Till now it was thought that, for age related degenerative disease, nothing can be done. Only symptoms can be elevated with pain relief medications to some extent.

But now stem cell therapy, can cure this degenerative disease by building the lost cartilage, creating newer, healthier cushion and reducing the problems of cartilage loss.

Stem cell are the building blocks of the body. They can take form of any cell in the body when surrounded by that type of cell. The treatment involves harvesting of cartilage cells (called Chondrocytes) from the patient. Then they grow in laboratory till they are divided into million.

Then they are implanted into the damaged joints after multiplying and transformed fully into Chondrocytes. These would then begin to produce into fresh new cartilage.

Professor Archer, lead researcher of at Cardiff University, said “Current cartilage transplants have limitations because only a small number of cartilage cells can be harvested from the patient, but now it’s possible to generate billions of cartilage cells in a laboratory from a resident stem cell. These cells could be used to treat cartilage lesions that may develop into osteoarthritis.”

Source: Bupa, Stem Cell Therapies