Bone Marrow Stem Cells
Bone marrow is a semi-liquid tissue inside long bones, vertebrae, ribs, sternum, skull bones, scapular waist and pelvis. This tissue is colloquially known as marrow and contains living cells that are essential for the functioning and maintenance of our body.
During the course of our lives in the marrow blood cells such as platelets, red blood cells and immune system cells are generated.
This is because the bone marrow contains the stem cells (parents) of the blood. It also incorporates progenitor cells from the osteoarticular system known as mesenchymal cells that have been shown to be necessary for the creation of tissues such as bone and cartilage.
Intensive international research is currently underway to understand and leverage the biological qualities of these cells in clinical repair of injuries affecting bones and cartilage. However, there are still doubts in the scientific community as to whether mesenchymal progenitor cells, while necessary, are sufficient alone to repair/regenerate tissues.
In this context, therapeutic approaches have been developed that seek to use the natural potential of our body to regenerate and that are based on the use of the bone marrow and its entire cell content, including progenitor and mature cells, during surgery to facilitate and accelerate tissue repair.
Dr. Cugat and his multidisciplinary group at the García Cugat Foundation are conducting various studies to assess the regenerating potential of bone marrow in knee and hip joint pathologies. What they do is, in parallel with the usual surgical treatment, aspirate bone marrow to obtain and concentrate those cells that are actively involved in the processes of repairing osteoarticular tissue and obtain a product, bone marrow stem cell concentrate, which is applied in the injury areas.