Juvenile Stem Cells Better at Bone Regeneration

The stem cells in children have the capacity to repair broken bones far more quickly than do those in adults. To figure out why that is and to take advantage of that capability, scientists at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland compared child and adult-derived stem cells in order to understand why children’s cells have this extraordinary capacity to repair bone quickly.

In this study the researchers found that children’s stem cells are more sensitive to changes in their physical environment and, apparently as a result, form bone more quickly than do adult stem cells. By comparing the genetic expression of children and adult-derived stem cells, the researchers identified a particular gene (JNK3) that explains why children’s stem cells respond to their physical environment differently, creating more bone than do adult cells.

Fergal O’Brien, Ph.D., principal investigator on the project and a professor of anatomy, said: “We are very excited by the identification of a key mechanism which influences bone formation in children. This study opens a new research avenue. Ultimately we hope that this research will lead to improved treatments for patients who have suffered severe bone loss through injury or disease.”

Commenting on the significance of the research, Arlyng González-Vázquez, Ph.D., joint first author, said, “Our findings not only have major implications for tackling the decrease of bone repair capacity that occurs with age but also set the basis for a novel research strategy applicable to other tissues in the body.”

The study investigated the age-associated changes in the capacity of stem cells to form bone tissue and identified a therapeutic target which is to develop specific biomaterials for restoring a child-like bone healing capacity in adults suffering from severe fractures and bone degeneration.