Читать книгу The SAGE Encyclopedia of Stem Cell Research - Группа авторов - Страница 310

Most of the clinical trials in the area of cartilage and tendon regeneration are focused on autologous regeneration. Most of the scaffold and biomaterial supplements are in the stages of animal model testing.

In autologous reconstruction of worn-out cartilage, cartilage is extracted from a different site in the patient. This extracted cartilage is carved ex vivo and then applied to the site of the wound that needs to regenerate. Clinical trials are in progress for supplementing this process with plasma platelets. These trials test individual factors such as injection mode, time of injection, volume of injection, and whether a single dose or a series of injections in smaller volumes is preferable. The scientific efficacy of the test parameters is evaluated to devise a therapeutic or surgical plan. At the end of clinical trials, the methodology is also assessed for patient benefit, affordable costs, and the risks involved in the implementation of the process. A joint patient-doctor approach is used to evaluate the aforementioned parameters.

Ligament tears are very common in athletes and sportsmen, who require a robust and quick fix to get the joints back in working condition. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee connects the two bones in the joint, and it is one of the most common ligament tears. In 2014, a clinical trial is in progress to test the replacement of this ligament with the polymer poly-L-Lactic acid. The polymer is inserted via the bone in both knees and it substitutes for the ACL.

Outlined above are some of the clinical trials that are devising therapeutic strategies. The cell replacement therapy and tissue engineering is yet to reach the clinical trials as far as tendons, ligaments, and cartilage are concerned.

Sharanya Kumar

Independent Scholar

See Also: Cartilage, Tendons, and Ligaments: Cell Types Composing the Tissue; Cartilage, Tendons, and Ligaments: Current Research on Isolation or Production of Therapeutic Cells; Cartilage, Tendons, and Ligaments: Development and Regeneration Potential; Cartilage, Tendons, and Ligaments: Major Pathologies; Cartilage, Tendons, and Ligaments: Stem and Progenitor Cells in Adults.