The majority of our patients with severe osteoarthritis are able to avoid the need for total hip and total knee replacement surgery, as long as they are treated before the onset of total joint destruction. Clinical trials demonstrate that even bone-on-bone arthritis responds well to adult adipose cell regeneration.
Over 2 decades of research has established that when injected into joints, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) stimulate the production of new cartilage cells. MSCs also work to keep the inflammation in check that causes most osteoarthritis in the first place. In veterinary medicine, AD-SVF (adipose-derived stromal vascular-stem cell) injections have been used for over 10 years in the treatment of joints and connective tissue injuries, demonstrating an over 80% success rate in multiple blinded placebo-controlled canine clinical trials. While these trials have not been duplicated in humans (due to regulatory hurdles and high costs), in vivo human studies have clearly demonstrated that when added to cell-seeded constructs at the time of implantation, adipose stem cells plus PRP tissue matrix is shown to safely induce endogenous regeneration and chondrocyte (cartilage cell) differentiation in the target tissues.
At Oregon Regenerative Medicine, Dr. Noel Peterson performs a same-day adipose tissue graft procedure to harvest a tissue matrix rich in mesenchymal stem cells from what is know as Adipose Derived-stem cells (AD-SC). When compared to bone marrow, this cell-rich bioactive matrix contains more than 500-times as many mesenchymal stem cells and stromal stem-like cells. AD-SC additionally provides an extensive bioactive extracellular matrix, which is considered essential for successful tissue repair grafts. We complement our AD-SC implants with the addition of high-density PRP, which provides additional growth factors, cytokines, chemokines and bioactive scaffolding, all of which have been demonstrated to enhance the microenvironment for repair and healing.
Studies confirm that when added to cell-seeded constructs at the time of implantation, AD-SC-PRP tissue matrix has been shown to induce endogenous cartilage regeneration in the target tissue.
If you, or someone you care about, has moderate -to -advanced osteoarthritis of the knees, hips or other joints, they may be a candidate for adult adipose cell therapy.
References:
Pak J, Regeneration of human bones in hip osteonecrosis and human cartilage in knee osteoarthritis with autologous adipose-tissue-derived stem cells: a case series; Journal of Medical Case Reports 2011, 5:296
Stem Cell Research and Therapeutics, 2013;4(3):67, http:/www.ncbi.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc3706762/
Fraser JK, et al, Fat tissue: an underappreciated source of stem cells for biotechnology. Trends in biotechnology. 2006; 24:150-154.
Influence of platelet-rich plasma on chondrogenic differentiation and proliferation of chondrocytes and mesenchymal stem cells. Drengk A1, Zapf A, Stürmer EK, Stürmer KM, Frosch KH. Cells Tissues Organs. 2009;189(5):317-26.
