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How coral can help you grow a new knee | Mail Online.

How coral can help you grow a new knee

By PAT HAGAN

PUBLISHED: 21:04 GMT, 1 April 2013 | UPDATED: 23:53 GMT, 1 April 2013

A tiny implant made from coral could help repair knee joints crippled by osteo-arthritis. The implant helps to stimulate the growth of new cartilage from stem cells — the body’s own immature cells that can turn into any type of tissue.

Scientists chose coral because its structure resembles human bone so closely, providing the perfect scaffold for new cartilage and blood vessels to form inside the knee.

An estimated eight million people in Britain have some degree of osteoarthritis, which causes the destruction of cartilage — this is the body’s built-in shock absorber, soaking up the impact from walking, running or lifting, so bones do not rub together and disintegrate.

The new implant was developed by coating coral with human growth factors, which stimulate the creation of new cells in the bodyThe new implant was developed by coating coral with human growth factors, which stimulate the creation of new cells in the body

However, with age major joints such as the hips, knees and wrists suffer wear and tear. Other risk factors include being overweight, having a family history of the condition and suffering sports-related injuries.

The cartilage starts to break down, making joints swollen and extremely painful. There are no drugs to cure it and many sufferers rely on anti-inflammatory pain-killers to ease their suffering.

But around 60,000 people a year in the UK end up needing a knee replacement because their joints are too badly eroded.

In recent years, researchers have focused on finding ways to regenerate cartilage inside the knee.

Coral has been used for bone grafts for a number of years — without some form of scaffolding, the implanted cells struggle to take hold. The coral naturally degrades as the new bone replaces it.

Scientists at a number of centres around the world noted the success of coral bone grafts, and are now investigating its use in cartilage replacement.

A team of scientists in Slovenia developed the new implant — called Agili-C — by coating coral with human growth factors, which stimulate the creation of new cells in the body. Experiments have shown that it stimulated the formation of cartilage and blood vessels by attracting a certain type of stem cell — known as mesenchymal stem cells — out from nearby bone marrow on to the scaffold.

Major joints such as the knees, wrists and hips suffer wear and tear with age

Major joints such as the knees, wrists and hips suffer wear and tear with age

Results from early-stage animal studies show that after six to 12 months, the stem cells had formed a healthy new layer of cartilage and the coral implant had completely dissolved.

The first patient in Europe to receive the implant was a 47-year-old former athlete who suffered knee swelling and pain. The implant reduced pain, and increased mobility. Six months after treatment he was able to ski and a year later completed a 120-mile cycle race. A trial in Slovenia involving around 20 patients, aged from 18 to 55, with damaged knees is under way and the final results are likely to be announced next year.

The implant has been cleared for sale in the UK and Europe and could be launched on to the market later this year.

Commenting on the implant, a spokeswoman for Arthritis Research UK said: ‘This is interesting research and the use of stem cells to regenerate cartilage in people with a joint injury and even osteoarthritis has huge potential.

‘For instance, we are currently investigating how stem-cell therapy could be improved by differentiating between ‘good’ stem cells, which grow rapidly and make cartilage tissue, and ‘bad’ stem cells, which fail to grow. However, it’s very early days, and it has to be stressed that this kind of treatment is not yet available in the UK.’

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Meanwhile, scientists have discovered why arthritic knees hurt so much, and now hope to develop more effective painkillers for the condition.

Although the source of discomfort in severe arthritis is clear, as the bones can start to rub together, experts are still mystified why mild to moderate osteoarthritis causes pain. However, U.S. researchers, writing in the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, now believe they have found the molecule that triggers discomfort.

In lab-based experiments, they found that damaged cartilage releases a compound called monocyte chemoattractant protein, which triggers nerves to send pain signals to the brain.

They say that further drugs that either prevent the release of, or soak up, this compound may help to eliminate pain.

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Acupuncture might offer a shorter-term answer for painful knees. An NHS study of 90 patients, published in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine, revealed that a two-year course of the treatment (given once every six weeks) reduced discomfort and increased mobility.

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2302475/How-coral-help-grow-new-knee.html#ixzz2PjDVHtO5
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