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A DOCTOR AT THE STANFORD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE USED STEM CELLS TO HELP 3 PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM OSTEONECROSIS. THIS STORY DESCRIBES A YOUNG MAN, ADAM VASSER, WHO WAS GOING TO NEED A KNEE REPLACEMENT BECAUSE OF A RARE CONDITION CALLED OSTEOCNECROSIS. HOWEVER, DR. STUART GOODMAN TRIED IMPLANTING ADAM'S OWN BONE MARROW STEM CELLS INTO ADAM'S KNEE. THESE DAYS, ADAM'S KNEE IS LIKE NEW AGAIN. CHALK UP ANOTHER CONDITION THAT CAN BE TREATED WITH ADULT STEM CELL THERAPY. I'M NO DOCTOR, BUT THIS MAY HAVE GOOD IMPLICATIONS FOR ARTHRITIS PATIENTS AS WELL. WHY NOT TRY IT IF SOMEBODY HAS AN ARTHRITIC KNEE OR HIP?
READ ON FOR MORE ON THIS NEW STEM CELL TREATMENT STORY-
The 60-minute surgery, called osteoprogenitor cellular grafting, involves scooping out the dead bone and then filling the space in with new cellular matter.
"The key is to arrest or reverse the death of the bone," Goodman said. "If the cartilage is good, you get the dead bone out and give the cartilage a better foundation. If you have a salvageable joint in a young knee, you get in viable cells to repopulate that area of dead bone."
Goodman theorized that instead of using traditional bone grafting - a more invasive and painful solution - a better method might be using bone cells. The bone cells include young stem cells and progenitor cells that can actually grow into new bone. He withdrew bone marrow from the pelvic area, concentrated the stem cells and progenitors, then used a scaffolding device to help the cells adhere to the defect in the knee.
Vasser underwent the knee surgery the summer after he graduated from high school. He described a painful, monthlong recuperation period, but said that since then his knee has improved to be almost like new five years later. His mother showed a photo of him crouching behind the home plate, playing umpire in a baseball game the year following surgery.
"My knee has felt good ever since," Vasser said. "It's much stronger than it used to be. It used to lock up. Towards the end before the surgery, it got really bad. I'm refereeing, riding a bike. It doesn't affect it. It's fine."
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