Rebuilding Human Bone Using Stem Cells

With the use of a patient’s stem cells, in the future it may be possible to regrow bone and cartilage naturally, making surgeries such as hip and knee replacement more successful than ever before.

There is still more work to be done before this can be tested on human beings, however a recent study involving 10 rabbits was hugely successful, opening the door for further research. The rabbits, within 3 to 4 weeks following surgery, had regrown bone and cartilage in the joints that were replaced and were nearly as mobile as the rabbits that had not had this procedure done on them. This is the first time that a limb joint has been regenerated using a patient’s own stem cells.

Scientists are hopeful that this will lead the way to use in humans who require hip, knee or finger joint replacement. Potentially, those with artificial joints could outlast the metal replacement joint which would cause them to have to deal with a second surgery later in life. If the joint is replaced using their own stem cells, scientists believe the new joint will last longer than metal and will provide the same stability as the original joint once did.