A stem cell can develop into many types of mature cells. Often referred to as a “predecessor” or an “undifferentiated” cell, stem cells are immature cells that have not developed into their final cell type. What a stem cell turns into is determined by an intricate system of intrinsic and environmental signals. Stem cells range from totipotent embryonic stem cells, which can transform into virtually any cell, to multipotent adult stem cells, which can only change into a specific family of cells. Stem cells also recruit growth factors to speed up the healing process. Because of this, the clinical potential to regrow damaged tissue is promising. Our own bodies produce stem cells well into our adult life. We believe these regenerative cells can be harnessed to heal cartilage and bone. A patient’s own adult stem cells, or autologous mesenchymal stem cells, have immense clinical promise to both heal damaged tissue and restore missing tissue. Although the use of embryonic stem cells ignites a lot of controversy, adult stem cells come from the patient’s own body.

A specialized group of adult stem cells called mesenchymal stem cells are of particular interest in orthopedics because they can differentiate into high-quality bone and cartilage to restore damaged or missing tissue — often the result of acute trauma injuries or chronic disease such as arthritis. Essentially, stem cells deliver the growth factors to the repair site. There, the stem cell either produces or recruits growth factors, which speed up the rate of repair and increase the quality of tissue regenerated by the healing process.

What stem cell-based therapies are in use at The Stone Clinic today?
 

We use stem cells to improve the healing response in our articular cartilage paste grafting technique. In an arthritic or chondral lesion, marrow stem cells are exposed. A paste graft of cartilage and bone is mixed with those marrow cells to stimulate healing.