Use of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Orthopedic Injuries

The Use of Adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells Injections in Sports Injuries: Clinical Experience.  John R. Schultz, M.D.

Date: Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

Time: 6:00pm - 7:00pm MT

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) hold great promise as therapeutic agents in regenerative medicine.[1] Numerous animal studies have demonstrated the multipotency of MSCs; these studies show that MSCs are capable of differentiating into muscle, bone, cartilage, tendon, and various internal organs cells [13]. These multi-potent cells can be derived from the bone marrow or many other tissues as resident cells.  They can be cultured to larger numbers using simple lab methods.

Here we present numerous imaging (3.0 T MRI) case reports in the area of percutaneous cartilage, bone, lumbar intervertebral disc, and ligament repair.  New techniques for helping injured athletes avoid orthopedic surgery while decreasing recovery times will be presented.

This injection based procedure was ported from a large animal model.   Major development on the clinical procedure and continued biotech development continued under IRB supervision during 2005-2006 focused on changes to the procedure to allow autologous isolation and culture expansion  of human mesenchymal stem cells.  2006-2007 focused on pre and post 3.0 T MRI follow-ups of cartilage, bone, and fibrous tissue regeneration targets.  Since 2005 a long-term tracking database has been maintained following pain/functional status, blood work, 3.0 T MRI, and other parameters.  No significant complications have been reported.  Late 2007 was the start of seeing routine patients.  Additional applications were added as MRI data has become available.  Generalizability data is not yet available for  each procedure, but case series data has been submitted for publication.

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3.                  Bruder, S.P., D.J. Fink, and A.I. Caplan, Mesenchymal stem cells in bone development, bone repair, and skeletal regeneration therapy. J Cell Biochem, 1994. 56(3): p. 283-94.

4.                  Cha, J. and V. Falanga, Stem cells in cutaneous wound healing. Clin Dermatol, 2007. 25(1): p. 73-8.

5.                  Gangji, V., M. Toungouz, and J.P. Hauzeur, Stem cell therapy for osteonecrosis of the femoral head. Expert Opin Biol Ther, 2005. 5(4): p. 437-42.

6.                  Centeno, C.J., et al., Regeneration of meniscus cartilage in a knee treated with percutaneously implanted autologous mesenchymal stem cells. Med Hypotheses, 2008. 71(6): p. 900-8.

7.                  Centeno, C.J., et al., Increased knee cartilage volume in degenerative joint disease using percutaneously implanted, autologous mesenchymal stem cells. Pain Physician, 2008. 11(3): p. 343-53.

8.                  Centeno, C.J., et al., Partial regeneration of the human hip via autologous bone marrow nucleated cell transfer: A case study. Pain Physician, 2006. 9(3): p. 253-6.

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