May 22, 2013

The Centro Médico Teknon Regenerative Therapy Unit has confirmed the efficacy of adult stem cells in combating osteoarthritis. The results of the study were published this month in the prestigious "Transplantation" journal in the U.S. (Official Journal of The Transplantation Society), cited more than 25,000 times per year.

The Teknon research team, headed by Dr Lluís Orozco and Dr Robert Soler, designed a pilot study involving 12 patients with a history of surgery and up to grade 4 osteoarthritis of the knee cartilage. The patients received an injection of stem cells obtained from their own bone marrow and cultured in the Cell Therapy Unit of the Institute of Molecular Genetic Biology, a centre jointly run by the University of Valladolid and the Centro Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (National Research Council).

Following three weeks of culture, the stem cells were inoculated into the patients' knees. After one year of follow-up and assessment there was significant pain relief in 100% of cases and progressive regeneration of the affected cartilage in 11 of the 12 patients. This therapy was more effective than other treatments currently used for osteoarthritis, and also has the advantage of being a non-invasive, simple, conservative procedure that preserves joint biomechanics.