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Bone Structures To Be Built From Blood

Scientists at the University of York are developing ways of making bones from blood.

The researchers from the University’s Department of Biology are conducting an EC-backed €2.5 million research project to create bone structures from cord blood stem cells for use in the repair of bone defects and fractures. If the creation of bone structures from stem cells proves viable, it might be used for cell-based therapies to repair bone defects and fractures.

Ultimately, bone structures developed in this way could be used to make hip replacements more durable. Dr Paul Genever, project co-ordinator, said: “The mesenchymal stem cells in cord blood appear similar to bone marrow stem cells but they are hard to locate. We aim to isolate and expand them so we have enough cells to use in therapies. “We also want to compare them with bone marrow and embryonic stem cells and investigate how we can turn them into bone structures for use as 3D bone replacements.” The Department of Sociology and Philosophy at the university are also involved in the project, and will be involved in the debate about stem cell research - how potential benefits of these therapies can be weighed against ethical concerns.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .