Scientists use stem cells to create bone in mice

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Scientists in Britain said Wednesday they had created bone cells from embryonic stem cells in mice in an achievement that could accelerate new treatments for osteoporosis and other bone diseases.

Stem cells are master cells in the body that can generate most of the 200 cell types in the human body. They offer scientists the potential to repair and regenerate tissues and organs.

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Researchers at Imperial College Tissue Engineering Center grew mice bone cells in the laboratory from undifferentiated stem cells.

"This work will allow us to analyze the mechanism of bone formation in the mouse, which can then be translated into the human," Dr. Lee Buttery said in a statement.

The research, which will be published in the journal Tissue Engineering, could help to solve the problem of tissue rejection in patients and could improve bone grafting in patients with serious bone injuries.

The scientists used stem cells taken from mice embryos because the law does not allow them to use human stem cells. At present scientists in Britain can use early human embryos only to study specific problems such as infertility, congenital diseases, contraception and prenatal diagnoses.

Britain's parliament will vote on whether the law should be extended to allow scientists to use human embryonic cells for more research.

People had attempted to change stem cells into heart cells, liver cells but not bone cells. "As far as I am aware this is the first time data has been provided showing convincingly that the cells can become bone cells," researcher Julia Polak, the head of the center, said in a telephone interview.

When cells taken from very early embryos are left in culture in the laboratory, they will change into all types of cells, including bone cells. The researchers worked out the best formula, or cocktail of growth factors, to entice the stem cells to develop into bone cells.

After the cells grew and changed they produced specific proteins inside and outside the cell. "They are a very good benchmark to determine differentiation of cells toward bone lineage," Polak said.

The scientists are now injecting the bone cells into mice to make sure they have pure bone cells and to find out whether there is any threat that the cells could produce cancer in the mice.

"This represents a significant goal if embryonic stem cells can be used for tissue engineering and repair," Polak added.

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National Institutes of Health
Texas A&M University - Tissue Engineering
Tissue Engineering Society International

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