The May supplement issue of, Cytotherapy;The Journal of Cell Therapy, published the results of research presented at this year’s Annual International Stem Cell Treatment (ISCT) conference in Montreal, Canada. Researchers, from different institutions, presented the results of three separate trials showing stem cell therapy improved the pain and symptoms caused by osteoarthritis of the knee. Below is a summary of each of trial.
Study 1
Twelve patients, at Western Ontario McMaster Universities in Canada, diagnosed with stage III or IV osteoarthritis of the knee, received an intra-articular injection of one of three different doses of mesenchymal stem cells. All patients showed reductions in pain and disease associated symptoms after 1 injection with no severe adverse events.
Stem cell treatment reduced inflammation resulting in a reduction in pain and stiffness and an improvement in overall function and quality of life scores. Individuals that received the higher dose showed a greater improvement than those that received the lower dose of stem cells.
Study 2
Twenty individuals diagnosed with stage I, II or III osteoarthritis of the knee, who had limited or no response to traditional treatment options, received an intra-articular injection of adipose derived stem cells in the affected knee.
At 6 months, researchers evaluated patient response using pain assessments, MRI, examination of synovial fluid and measurement of inflammatory markers. Twenty out of twenty patients showed a positive response and all twenty patients reported being satisfied with the results of the treatment. There were no serious adverse events reported. Five patients experienced mild bruising and pain following the liposuction and four patients experienced mild swelling and pain immediately following the knee injection.
Adipose derived stem cell treatment was found to be both safe and effective for the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.
Study 3
Researchers compared the safety and efficacy of stem cell transplant with the safety and efficacy of more traditional hyaluronate hydrogel with microfracture, in 103 patients diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee.
Fifty patients were treated with umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells and Fifty-three patients were treated using microfracture. Following treatment, results were measured at week 48 and 60 months, using MRI, radiography measurements and two different pain assessments. Patients that received mesenchymal stem cells achieved greater results on all measurements. There were no differences in adverse events between the two groups.
Treatment with mesenchymal stem cells was safe and more effective than microfracture.
The Stem Cells Transplant Institute in Costa Rica uses adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells to treat osteoarthritis of the knee. Stem cells support self-healing of the knee joint cartilage. Osteoarthritis of the knee occurs with gradual change to the immune system, cartilage is damaged, bone structure is remodeled, and a chronic inflammation of the synovium develops. Mesenchymal stem cells have been shown to regulate the immune system response, inhibit inflammation, stimulate blood vessel growth, repair tissue, and stimulate self-regeneration of the cartilage.
The experts at the Stem Cells Transplant Institute are committed to providing personalized service and the highest quality of care to every patient. If you have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee and are interested in the potential benefits of stem cell therapy, contact the Stem Cells Transplant Institute to discuss your treatment options.
Reference:
- Chaboureau A., et. al. Potential anti-inflammatory mechanism of action of mesenchymal stromal cells in osteoarthritis patients results in overall improvement in pain and symptoms; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcyt.2018.02.019
- Flnaha, A. et al., Intra articular injection of adipose derived stem cells in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: A prospective case series study. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcyt.2018.02.061
- Ha C., et al., Allogeneic stem cells versus microfracture for cartilage repair in osteoarthritis, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcyt.2018.02.331
