Facts About Your Own Bone Marrow and Stem Cells

Claire

New member
The field of Orthobiologics has continued to develop over the past 20 years, forming different generations of cellular treatments, including Hyaluronic Acid and Platelet Rich Plasma as the first and second generations, respectively. Bone Marrow Concentrate (BMC) has evolved as the 3rd generation of Orthobiologics, illustrating potential applications in a wide variety of medical specialties, including Orthopedics. More specifically, extensive research is emerging about the regenerative potential of BMC and its potent mixture of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in the area of cartilage restoration and Osteoarthritis. But before we speed off into the future of BMC therapy and Orthobiologics, it’s important to go back to the basics for a second and take a look at Bone Marrow as a whole.

Six interesting facts about normal Bone Marrow that you may not know:

1. 4% of an adult’s weight is composed of Bone Marrow. If you are a 140 pound person, that’s almost 6 pounds of Bone Marrow.

2. 1 / 100,000 normal bone marrow cells is an uncommitted stem cell. These cells are extremely difficult to isolate, and significant research efforts are underway to better understand their extraction and application.

3. There are currently 4,000 clinical trials underway, investigating Bone Marrow and its potential applications in a myriad of diseases. If you were to include any clinical trials examining any or all areas of Bone Marrow, the number exceeds 21,000 trials!

4. Researchers have identified different locations within normal bone marrow that are responsible for producing and nurturing specific cell types. This discovery is of significant importance, because a good understanding of specific “nurturing” zones would allow scientists to control the production and release of specific cells, creating therapeutic control over the cellular components of the blood, and allowing for more specific treatment targeting for cancers and other blood or autoimmune disorders.

5. Normal Bone Marrow controls neutrophil homeostasis. Neutrophils are key cells for the inflammatory process, and it has been shown that Chemokine expression by Bone Marrow cells are import in regulating the balance of production and release of neutrophils. These chemokine receptors and various other biomarkers may serve as a potential therapeutic target in the future for disorders involving neutrophil balance.

6. Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cells (BMMC), mainly consisting of monocytes and lymphocytes, also contain a purified population of progenitor cells. Isolation of these progenitor cells is a highly researched topic in bone marrow currently, and scientists believe may hold the secret to many diseases. In fact, researchers have identified a central BMMC gene network, showing similarities between SLE and non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which may provide a molecular basis for a connection between SLE and Lymphoid cancers.

Extensive research and collaboration is imperative to continued advancements in the area of BMC and Mesenchymal Stem Cells. Gaining a holistic understanding of the many aspects of Bone Marrow and its significant impact on the body will help to strengthen research efforts for cartilage restoration and orthopedic applications.



Article link: http://www.conversantbio.com/blog/bid/373332/6-interesting-facts-about-normal-bone-marrow?source=Blog_Email_%5B6 Interesting Facts %5D?utm_campaign=Social%20Media%20-%20Feb%202014&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_content=4001524
 

barbara

Pioneer Founding member
This is very interesting Claire. I had no idea I was lugging around that many pounds of bone marrow!
 
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