Stem cells are revolutionizing the way that orthopedic doctors are able to tackle joint problems, and the discoveries made by researchers just keep getting better. Now experts believe that stem cell therapy could very well eliminate the need for joint replacement in the near future. Such an assertion would have been considered impossible fifty years ago, but today it’s actually within reach.

Stem Cells Can Grow Cartilage

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine and Cytex Therapeutics worked together to successfully develop a 3D biodegradable synthetic scaffold molded to the exact shape of a patient’s hip joint. That scaffold was then covered with cartilage actually made from the patient’s own stem cells. This huge accomplishment proves that we are closer than ever before to using a patient’s own cells to repair a damaged joint and reduce the number of necessary joint replacement surgeries.

Application in Patients with Osteoarthritis

Nearly 30 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis, especially in the knees. Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that causes the cartilage that cushions the joint between two bones to wear away and erode, leaving the bones rubbing on each other instead. Though most osteoarthritis forms with age, some patients can blame an injury or genetic susceptibility for their discomfort.

Doctors have been working to address osteoarthritis with stem cells for about eight years. The first attempts involved simply injecting stem cells into the affected areas to give the stem cells a chance to latch onto the joints and produce new cartilage. Now doctors and researchers are seeking more standardized and far-reaching stem cell solutions.

If this new biodegradable synthetic scaffold with stem-cell grown cartilage could be successfully used in surgery, it would allow doctors to eliminate osteoarthritis issues with a much less invasive surgery and more natural, authentic results. The hip would be kept intact, and after surgery it would be able to withstand enough body weight for exercise and other movement-oriented activities. Keep watching this story, because in three to five year’s time, joint problems could be a thing of the past.