Tissue engineering

[Guest guest]

Hi,

As reported in our weekend paper health section..........following a recent

forum held in one of our States on tissue engineering............. I have

quoted as it appeared............

" One of the more advanced is the treatment of osteoarthritis, the chronic

wearing down of a joint.

Particularly prevalent in the knee and wrist, osteoarthritis results in the

shock absorbing tissue at the ends of the joint being worn away over time,

leaving pits or holes in the tissue.

The tissue engineers take shock absorbing tissue cells from the

osteoarthritis patient and grow them in greater numbers in the lab, to be

implanted back into the same patient. The cells are injected into the pits

and covered with the paitient's skin. The technique is still in its infancy

and not the most effective. Scientists estimate about 90% of the cells

injected are killed anyway, being injected into a hole that is an unfriendly

environment for cells.

The tissue appears to adhere to the edges of the hole rather than fill the

gap, the scientists are hoping to develop a putty-like substance that will

perform the task better. "

I am not sure they have the story quite right if they are telling of

covering these pits with skin but I suspect the general gist is right and

indicates what they are dealing with when attempting to get this

happening...........

As a matter of interest the same paper carried an article about research

into preserving bones and osteoporosis. Apparently some German research is

pointing to needing to run, jump and pump iron after menapause to ward off

bone loss, back pain and high chlesterol. i.e. there is a serious need for

supervised high impact activities rather than a stroll in the park to keep

the bones healthy............ Maybe this is why some OS suggest we hammer

these new joints to keep that femur head healthy............

Edith