Aditya Karthik

Regenerative therapies for knee osteoarthritis: a comparison of human-derived stem cell sources

Started Feb. 7, 2023

Abstract or project description

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition that arises as the result of the wearing down of the muscle and cartilage of the knee joint. A variety of treatments exist to combat OA, but none have proven to be permanent or prevent the risk of persistent post-surgical pain (PPSP). With a newfound rise of knee OA in younger people, the need for finding an effective cure has never been greater. One effective alternative to current therapies lies in stem cells. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are the primary form of regenerative medicine currently being explored, with prominent sources of these being adipose tissue, bone marrow, or the synovial membrane. These sources can be compared using a variety of factors, including differentiation potential (correlates to faster growth of cartilage, muscle fibers, etc.). In previous clinical trials, adipose and bone marrow have been prominently used, with synovial MSCs being rarely tested; still, in limited trials, these MSCs have shown the highest differentiation potential and overall effectiveness out of the main MSC sources. Induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) are another up-and-coming stem cell that has an even greater potential than synovial MSCs, effectively treating OA and being able to provide personalized treatments. However, a lack of sufficient evidence exists to decisively claim that IPSCs are the best form of regenerative medicine for knee OA. More testing and clinical trials are currently underway.