New Study: Stem Cells Grow Bones

Using proteins extracted from stem cells themselves, scientists have found a way to grow bones. The study, published in Scientific Reports, is the first to describe the extraction of necessary bone-producing growth factors from stem cells and then use these proteins to create new bone. The stem cell-based approach was as effective as the current standard treatment in terms of the amount of bone created.

“This proof-of-principle work establishes a novel bone formation therapy that exploits the regenerative potential of stem cells, ” said senior author Todd McDevitt, Ph.D., a senior investigator at the Gladstone Institutes. “With this technique, we can produce new tissue that is completely stem cell-derived and that performs similarly with the gold standard in the field.”

Instead of using stem cells themselves, the scientists extracted the proteins that the cells secrete—such as bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)—in order to harness their regenerative power. They first treated the stem cells with a chemical that helped coax them into early bone cells. Next, they mined the essential factors produced by the cells that send the signal to regenerate new tissue. Finally, the researchers delivered these proteins into mouse muscle tissue to facilitate new bone growth.

McDevitt, who conducted much of the research while a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, said, “These limitations motivate the need for more consistent and reproducible source material for tissue regeneration. As a renewable resource that is both scalable and consistent in manufacturing, pluripotent stem cells are an ideal solution.”