Biologics News

A note from the editors: The OTE200 is a group of approximately 200 European orthopaedic practitioners, educators and researchers whose opinions we poll each month. If you would like to be considered for membership, please send a request to ote@slackinc.com.

PRAGUE — A platelet rich plasma injection treatment used in patients suffering from lateral epicondylitis for a minimum of 3 months was found to be an effective pain reduction measure, according to Greek investigators.

Researchers from San Francisco have found a way to regenerate bone through cartilage grafts, according to a study presented at the Orthopaedic Research Society Annual Meeting.

Italian researchers at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Rome have found a molecular mechanism responsible for degeneration of the vertebral column, according to research published in Spine.

Bone grafting is an essential component of restoring three-dimensional osseous architecture. Surgical correction of hard tissue deficiencies presents challenges in both the functional and aesthetic realms. Autogenous bone harvested from secondary surgical sites provides great utility in reconstructing defects, augmenting healing, treating nonunions, arthrodesis and lengthening bones. While a number of options are available in allograft, autograft and bone graft substitutes, the benefits of osteogenesis and osteoinduction in autografts, as well as its mechanical and handling characteristics, make it the gold standard.

Researchers have discovered an anti-obesity and anti-diabetic endocrine hormone currently being tested on rats causes significant bone loss, calling into question whether it is safe for humans, according to a recent study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Researchers have developed a technique to enhance bone growth through the use of a molecule that, when injected into the bloodstream, directs the body’s stem cells to travel to the surface of bones, according to a University of California – Davis Health System news release.

Investigators from the Stanford University School of Medicine have shown the development of osteoarthritis is driven by low-grade inflammatory processes.

A study by Mayo Clinic researchers suggests that combining tenotomy and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection can produce “significant improvement” in patients with long-standing tendon injuries.

Researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have developed a new laboratory test that can rapidly identify the bacterium responsible for Staph infections.