Bone Cell Growth Therapy for Osteoporosis

The first clinical trial is under way of an experimental way to grow new bone to replace bone that has been lost because of osteoporosis. Currently, almost all treatments for osteoporosis aim only at preventing further bone loss.

The new therapy uses a patient's own bone marrow to grow new cells and strengthen existing bones. The procedure involves taking a small amount of bone marrow out of the patient, placing it in a special device that grows these cells to very, very large numbers and then injecting them back into the patient. The cells produced will be a mixture of both blood-forming and bone-forming cells, which will hone in on places in the body that have bone. The procedure employs a system of producing human cells outside the body called Replicell, which was developed by Aastrom Biosciences, Inc. (Ann Arbor, MI, USA). The procedure is under investigation by researchers at the University of Michigan Health System (UMHS, Ann Arbor, USA).

The therapy is being tested on people with significant osteoporosis and is not designed for patients who have minimal bone loss or for those who are concerned about bone loss. "We don't know yet because this is an experimental process, but we think that any bone that we can give patients--given the fact that they're growing their own bone—will be good bone, strong bone, healthy bone, and will make it possible for them to have a more active lifestyle with less risk of fracture,” said Robert Lash, co-director of the UMHS Osteoporosis and Metabolic Bone Disease Program.




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Aastrom Biosciences Inc