Researchers say it might be possible to use such stem cells to help people recover faster from all sorts of injuries

Jan 17, 2015 08:39 GMT  ·  By
Newly discovered stem cells could help treat fractures, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis
   Newly discovered stem cells could help treat fractures, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis

In a recent report in the journal Cell, researchers with the Columbia University Medical Center in the US detail the discovery of a previously unknown type of stem cells that work to regenerate damaged bone and cartilage in mice.

True, these newly discovered stem cells have until now only been documented in the body of the laboratory mice that this investigation focused on. Still, it is believed that a similar type might also be present in the human body.

If this is indeed the case, it might be possible to find a way to use them to speed up the healing process in the case of people who one way or another broke some of the bones in their body. The cells could even help treat osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.

How the stem cells were discovered

Writing in the journal Cell, the Columbia University Medical Center scientists behind this investigation explain that they zoomed in on these previously unknown stem cells in the bodies of mice by tracking a protein expressed by them.

Having identified the cells, now referred to as osteochondroreticular stem cells, in the rodents' bone marrow, the researchers got to work studying their behavior. They have found that their job is to repair damaged bone and cartilage by producing key bone and cartilage cells.

“If you make a fracture in the mouse, these cells will come alive again, generate both bone and cartilage in the mouse and repair the fracture,” study senior author Siddhartha Mukherjee explains the working agenda of these newly found stem cells.

What's interesting is that, according to evidence at hand, the number of osteochondroreticular stem cells present in a mouse's body varies in time. Thus, the cells are a common sight during the rodent's development phase. In adulthood, however, they only increase in number following an injury.

How this study could benefit human patients

The Columbia University Medical Center researchers theorize that, since mouse and human bone biology are not all that different, it could be that we too carry such osteochondroreticular stem cells. If this is indeed the case, the cells could help us recover faster from bone and cartilage injuries.

As explained by scientist Siddhartha Mukherjee and fellow researchers, the idea is to find a way to get the body to produce more osteochondroreticular stem cells than normal and then have these cells repair damaged bone and cartilage. Apart from fractures, the cells could treat osteoarthritis and osteoporosis.

“Our findings raise the possibility that drugs or other therapies can be developed to stimulate the production of OCR stem cells and improve the body’s ability to repair bone injury—a process that declines significantly in old age,” says specialist Timothy C. Wang.