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Arthritis Research UK has announced the opening of a new £6 million experimental tissue engineering centre. The centre hopes to regenerate bone and cartilage by using patients' stem cells in what would be an innovative new treatment if it proves successful.
The charity say that there are 8 million sufferers of arthritis in the UK and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 50 million Americans with arthritis or a related condition.
Commenting in a press release, Professor Alan Silman, medical director of Arthritis Research UK, said:
"This early experimental work is the first step on a journey that could significantly reduce the need for joint replacement operations".
"It's hugely exciting. At the moment joint replacement surgery is the most effective treatment we have but people with osteoarthritis cope with years of increasing pain and disability until they reach the point where surgery becomes a viable option."
Taking the lead in the new innovation will be Newcastle University, the University of Aberdeen, Keele University/the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and the University of York will also take part.
Researchers hope to see results within five years and say that it could reduce the need for joint replacements.
In a press release, Professor Andrew McCaskie, centre director and professor of orthopaedic surgery at Newcastle University's Institute of Cellular Medicine and the Freeman Hospital, part of the Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said:
"Every patient has their own 'repair kit'. Whereas joint replacement uses metal and plastic to replaces the severely damaged joint, we're trying to treat at an earlier stage and assist the human body to repair itself."
"Keyhole and minimally invasive operations for early arthritis have been in development for some years and we propose to improve upon these techniques and work towards more widely available treatments. This requires research at all levels of the process, from laboratory to bedside. We hope that elements of this approach will reach the patient in the operating theatre within five years."
Usual treatments for arthritis include painkillers. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs or steroids.
The charity say that there are 8 million sufferers of arthritis in the UK and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 50 million Americans with arthritis or a related condition.
Commenting in a press release, Professor Alan Silman, medical director of Arthritis Research UK, said:
"This early experimental work is the first step on a journey that could significantly reduce the need for joint replacement operations".
"It's hugely exciting. At the moment joint replacement surgery is the most effective treatment we have but people with osteoarthritis cope with years of increasing pain and disability until they reach the point where surgery becomes a viable option."
Taking the lead in the new innovation will be Newcastle University, the University of Aberdeen, Keele University/the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, and the University of York will also take part.
Researchers hope to see results within five years and say that it could reduce the need for joint replacements.
In a press release, Professor Andrew McCaskie, centre director and professor of orthopaedic surgery at Newcastle University's Institute of Cellular Medicine and the Freeman Hospital, part of the Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said:
"Every patient has their own 'repair kit'. Whereas joint replacement uses metal and plastic to replaces the severely damaged joint, we're trying to treat at an earlier stage and assist the human body to repair itself."
"Keyhole and minimally invasive operations for early arthritis have been in development for some years and we propose to improve upon these techniques and work towards more widely available treatments. This requires research at all levels of the process, from laboratory to bedside. We hope that elements of this approach will reach the patient in the operating theatre within five years."
Usual treatments for arthritis include painkillers. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs or steroids.
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