Cartilage Made From Stem Cells Tested In Animals

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Cartilage Made From Stem Cells Tested In Animals

ARLINGTON, Va., April 11, 2002 --- The research lab that made

headlines

last year for turning fat cells into cartilage has taken the work a

step

further by successfully implanting the altered cells in mice.

This demonstrates the potential of taking stem cells from one tissue

and

turning them into cells of other tissues for use as implants in

treating

injury and disease.

Since cartilage has few blood vessels, nerves and lymphatic support,

it

has a limited capacity for repair when damaged. This makes cartilage

an

especially good candidate for replacement by engineered tissue.

" For patients with tissue damage, we envision being able to remove a

small piece of fat, and then growing customized, three-dimensional

pieces

of tissue which would then be surgically implanted where needed, "

said

Whitaker investigator Farshid Guilak, Ph.D., director of orthopedic

research at Duke University.

Guilak and his colleagues have also used fat cells to produced cells

that

can make bone and, of course, fat. The ultimate goal of the work is

to

develop replacement cells and tissues by tapping into the

regenerative

power of stem cells.

Stem cells are the mother cells of various tissues of the body. They

reproduce themselves and, at the same time, give rise to different

cell

types that become skin, bone, blood and other living tissues.

Recent research suggests that stem cells from one tissue can be

reprogrammed to make cells of another tissue. The ability to isolate

and

manipulate stem cells have opened new avenues of research for

treating

injury and disease.

Embryonic stem cells can develop into virtually any cell type in the

body. They are the subjects of widespread interest and controversy.

President Bush has stopped federally funded research involving new

lines

of embryonic stem cells. This has accelerated the search for stem

cells

in adult tissue.

" We have found a new source of adult stem cells that can be changed

into

different cells and tissues, " said M. Quinn Wickham, a Duke

University

medical student who works in Guilak's lab.

In the animal studies, fat cells left over from liposuction were

filtered

to isolate a colony of cells rich in stem cells. These were grown in

a

chemical and physical environment that encourages the growth of

cartilage. It was important to feed the cells growth factors and

culture

them in a three-dimensional configuration to simulate the way

cartilage

cells grow naturally.

Fat cells grown in this way began to produce collagen, a main

ingredient

of cartilage. When these cells were implanted under the skin of mice,

they continued for three months to produce collagen and other

ingredients

in a matrix characteristic of cartilage.

It is unlikely that one source of stem cells can be used to treat a

wide

variety of medical problems and disease, Guilak said. " But different

clinical problems could be addressed by using adult cells taken from

different spots throughout the body, without the same ethical

concerns

associated with embryonic stem cells. "

Results of the study were published in the journal Biochemical and

Biophysical Research Communications.

In a related study, fat cells were taken from a pad of fat that lies

behind the knee cap (patella). Cells can be harvested from this area

using a minimally invasive procedure that is less disruptive than

liposuction. Similar deposits are also found in various other

connective

tissues throughout the body.

The researchers took fat pads from patients whose knee joints were

removed during total joint replacement surgery and extracted a

population

of connective tissue (stromal) cells believed to be rich in stem

cells.

Three groups of these cells were placed in three different

environments

and given steroids and growth factors that would encourage the growth

of

cartilage, bone and fat.

After a period of weeks, the cell cultures were examined. The first

group

had developed collagen matrix molecules characteristic of cartilage.

The

second group developed calcium phosphate deposits as if they were

beginning to build a structure of bone. The third group began

producing

fat cells.

The results suggest that stem cells taken from fatty tissue can be

reprogrammed into various other types of cells.

Any human applications of this work would be years away, but the

research

group is encouraged and continuing the work. Collaborating with the

Duke

team was Dr. Jeff Gimble of Durham, N.C.-based Artecel Sciences, who

holds the patent for the process of isolating these cells from fat.

Guilak is a consultant for Artecel Sciences.

--- End forwarded message ---

[Guest guest]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/04/020412075006.htm

Cartilage Made From Stem Cells Tested In Animals

ARLINGTON, Va., April 11, 2002 --- The research lab that made headlines last

year for turning fat cells into cartilage

has taken the work a step further by successfully implanting the altered cells

in mice.

This demonstrates the potential of taking stem cells from one tissue and turning

them into cells of other tissues for

use as implants in treating injury and disease.

Since cartilage has few blood vessels, nerves and lymphatic support, it has a

limited capacity for repair when damaged.

This makes cartilage an especially good candidate for replacement by engineered

tissue.

" For patients with tissue damage, we envision being able to remove a small piece

of fat, and then growing customized,

three-dimensional pieces of tissue which would then be surgically implanted

where needed, " said Whitaker investigator

Farshid Guilak, Ph.D., director of orthopedic research at Duke University.

Guilak and his colleagues have also used fat cells to produced cells that can

make bone and, of course, fat. The

ultimate goal of the work is to develop replacement cells and tissues by tapping

into the regenerative power of stem

cells.

Stem cells are the mother cells of various tissues of the body. They reproduce

themselves and, at the same time, give

rise to different cell types that become skin, bone, blood and other living

tissues.

Recent research suggests that stem cells from one tissue can be reprogrammed to

make cells of another tissue. The

ability to isolate and manipulate stem cells have opened new avenues of research

for treating injury and disease.

Embryonic stem cells can develop into virtually any cell type in the body. They

are the subjects of widespread interest

and controversy. President Bush has stopped federally funded research involving

new lines of embryonic stem cells. This

has accelerated the search for stem cells in adult tissue.

" We have found a new source of adult stem cells that can be changed into

different cells and tissues, " said M. Quinn

Wickham, a Duke University medical student who works in Guilak's lab.

In the animal studies, fat cells left over from liposuction were filtered to

isolate a colony of cells rich in stem

cells. These were grown in a chemical and physical environment that encourages

the growth of cartilage. It was important

to feed the cells growth factors and culture them in a three-dimensional

configuration to simulate the way cartilage

cells grow naturally.

Fat cells grown in this way began to produce collagen, a main ingredient of

cartilage. When these cells were implanted

under the skin of mice, they continued for three months to produce collagen and

other ingredients in a matrix

characteristic of cartilage.

It is unlikely that one source of stem cells can be used to treat a wide variety

of medical problems and disease, Guilak

said. " But different clinical problems could be addressed by using adult cells

taken from different spots throughout the

body, without the same ethical concerns associated with embryonic stem cells. "

Results of the study were published in the journal Biochemical and Biophysical

Research Communications.

In a related study, fat cells were taken from a pad of fat that lies behind the

knee cap (patella). Cells can be

harvested from this area using a minimally invasive procedure that is less

disruptive than liposuction. Similar deposits

are also found in various other connective tissues throughout the body.

The researchers took fat pads from patients whose knee joints were removed

during total joint replacement surgery and

extracted a population of connective tissue (stromal) cells believed to be rich

in stem cells.

Three groups of these cells were placed in three different environments and

given steroids and growth factors that would

encourage the growth of cartilage, bone and fat.

After a period of weeks, the cell cultures were examined. The first group had

developed collagen matrix molecules

characteristic of cartilage. The second group developed calcium phosphate

deposits as if they were beginning to build a

structure of bone. The third group began producing fat cells.

The results suggest that stem cells taken from fatty tissue can be reprogrammed

into various other types of cells.

Any human applications of this work would be years away, but the research group

is encouraged and continuing the work.

Collaborating with the Duke team was Dr. Jeff Gimble of Durham, N.C.-based

Artecel Sciences, who holds the patent for

the process of isolating these cells from fat. Guilak is a consultant for

Artecel Sciences.

Editor's Note: The original news release can be found at

http://www.whitaker.org/news/guilak.html

========================

Good health & long life,

Greg ,

http://optimalhealth.cia.com.au