Stem cell treatment for bone loss
Italian team regenerates bone damaged by gum disease
22 June, 18:03
(ANSA) - Milan, June 22 - People afflicted with severe gum
disease look set to benefit from a new technique that
regenerates the damaged bone using stem cells, the scientist
leading the research announced on Tuesday.
A ten-year study by a team at the Odontology Clinic of
Milan University and San Gerardo di Monza Hospital has produced
results that could transform the treatment of periodontal
disease, said the clinic's director, Marco Baldoni.
"Various studies on animals and in the laboratory have
demonstrated that bone marrow stem cells, if appropriately
treated and properly cultivated on a support structure, are able
to create new bone tissue," said Baldoni.
"Our idea has been to exploit that result to regenerate the
bone commonly lost in individuals suffering from periodontal
disease".
Periodontitis, which is caused by severe bacterial
infection, results in the recession of the gums and the
destruction of gum and bone tissue.
Currently, grafting fresh bone from other parts of the body
onto the damaged area is one of the main treatments for bone
loss but this has varying levels of success.
Following successful experiments on animals, the Italian
research team shifted their focus to human subjects.
The first step involved removing a small quantity of bone
marrow from the affected individuals and then isolating the
adult stem cells contained in the marrow.
These were cultivated on a specially designed collagen
support structure in the laboratory.
In the final stage, the patient was given a local
anesthesia and the stem cells were injected into the affected
areas.
In the space of a few months, the stem cells had entirely
regenerated the bone lost through disease.
"At the same time, we were also able to treat serious
deficiencies arising from tooth loss by using much larger rigid
support structures," said Baldoni."This meant we were able to avoid the need to carry out additional surgery to remove bone from the hip or other parts of the body". The surgery has so far been carried out on seven individuals and in every case has proven successful. "In fact, the preliminary results indicate that the level of bone regeneration is even greater than those obtained with traditional methods," added the scientist.
Baldoni maintains that conventional treatments will continue to play a key role in treating periodontal disease but hopes that these will eventually be flanked by stem cell treatment. "The aim is to develop a treatment that is ever less invasive and available for an ever widening circle of patients," he concluded.
