Study Shows Adult Stem Cells Can Heal

Wednesday June 18, 2008
By Peter J. Smith

CHAPEL HILL, NC, June 18, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Scientists have continued to expand the horizons for adult stem-cell therapies, with new research revealing the latest stem-cell breakthrough for people whose broken bones fail to heal, especially sufferers of osteoporosis.

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have unveiled research that shows transplantation of adult stem cells to the site of a fracture can improve vastly the healing of broken bones and give real hope to those who suffer from them.

"This finding is critical to patients who lack the proper healing process and to individuals prone to broken bones, such as those with osteoporosis and the rare genetic condition known as brittle bone disease," said Dr. Anna Spagnoli, an associate professor of pediatrics and biomedical engineering in the UNC School of Medicine and senior author of the UNC study.

The study reveals that normally in the course of healing a fracture, a person's stem cells migrate to the site of the break, where they form the cartilage and bone that will knit the broken bones back together. However, more than 600,000 Americans every year suffer from fractures that do not heal according to this process, meaning these bones stay broken, and can cause severe pain, bone deformities, and even death. the rest image