Stem cell therapy for articular cartilage defects

Background: Stem cells are easily accessible and have great potential for healing articular cartilage defects. These features make stem cell therapy an appealing approach for treating severely impaired joint function. Sources of data: Clinical and basic research articles and literature reviews. Areas of agreement: Stem cells possess the potential to build articular cartilage. Malalignment and instability corrections and proper rehabilitation are crucial prerequisites for surgical procedures involving stem cell therapy. Smoking reduces the result. Areas of controversy: Ethical concerns remain unresolved. No standards are established for inducing stem cell potential, optimizing culturing media or harvesting. The risk of failure has not been determined. Growing points: Surgical scaffolds can improve results. Care givers should focus on re-educating patients. Improved funding is needed for developing the therapy. Areas timely for developing research: Define guidelines for stem cell therapy and demonstrate effectiveness.