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Early trial results show it may be possible to treat cartilage defects with MSCs
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BARCELONA — At the European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery & Arthroscopy Congress, investigators from Belarus reported their first clinical results using a local adherent method of autologous mesenchymal stem cell transplantation to regenerate articular cartilage.
“Pain level and joint function significantly improved 6 months after surgery,” Dzmitry Bukach, MD, said. He presented the early findings of the five initial patients treated with autologous mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) that were differentiated in a chondral direction and applied in such a way that the cells had the best chance to adhere to the cartilage defect.
Bukach said he used essentially the same technique of introducing cultivated monolayer bone marrow stem cells to treat full thickness lesions that he and his colleagues studied in a canine model. Differentiation in both cases was achieved with transforming growth factor-beta 1 and insulin-like growth factor, and a sodium hyaluronate matrix was used.
The patients were evaluated with the VAS and Lysholm scores at 4 months and 6 months post-treatment. Cartilage regeneration was evaluated using MRI and 3-D magnetic resonance observation of cartilage repair tissue or MOCART scale.
“We have the 6-months results of the first 12 group. We still make surgical patients. We have some patients with 1-year results,” Bukach said.
Based on findings of the MRI control studies completed, “we can tell the first patients have good results 1 year after” in terms of the quality of the regenerated cartilage seen on MRI, he said.
According to the abstract, there were significant improvements in the VAS and Lysholm scores at 6 months postoperatively. MOCART scores were statistically significantly better in the MSC group compared to a group of control patients with cartilage defects treated solely with bone marrow stimulation, based on the study results.
The study was a National Society Award Winner of the Belarusian Association of Knee Surgery, Arthroscopy and Sports Traumatology. – by Susan M. Rapp
Reference:
Bukach D, et al. Paper #AW02-6174. Presented at: European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy Congress; May 4-7, 2016; Barcelona, Spain.
Disclosure: Bukach reports no relevant financial disclosures.