Researchers at JBNU have proposed a new treatment that implants stem cells harvested from the human body into bone defect sites to promote bone formation, attracting attention from the academic community.

The main researchers in this study are Jeong-ryeol Kim (Orthopedic Surgery), Medical School; Byung-hyun Park (Biochemistry), Diabetes Research Center; and Professor Kyu-yun Jang (Pathology). The paper reporting the results, 'Acceleration of spinal fusion using COMP-angiopoietin-1 with allografting in a rat model' (Treatment of bone defects using autologous adipose-derived stem cells), has been accepted for publication in BONE, a journal recognized as the world's leading authority in the field of orthopedics.

Bone defects occur when part of a limb bone is lost due to causes such as traffic accidents, osteomyelitis, or bone tumors, resulting in impaired limb function; in severe cases, amputation may be required.

Currently, treatments include autologous bone grafting, in which the patient's pelvic bone is harvested and transplanted; allogeneic bone grafting using another person's bone; xenogeneic bone grafting; and bone substitutes. However, autologous bone grafting requires harvesting bone from another site on the patient's body, which can cause donor-site complications and may not provide sufficient bone volume. Allogeneic and xenogeneic grafts and bone substitutes lack osteoinductive capacity, making bone fusion difficult and lowering success rates. Therefore, an innovative treatment capable of addressing extensive bone defects has been needed.

For this study, the research team created bone defects in the tibiae of animals, harvested autologous adipose-derived stem cells from the same animals, cultured them on a bioabsorbable scaffold, and implanted the construct into the bone defect sites.

The experiments showed that bone formation was markedly enhanced at sites implanted with the adipose-derived stem cell–scaffold construct. The team also proposed the mechanism by which spinal fusion is promoted.

Professor Jeong-ryeol Kim explained, 'This study is significant because it provides evidence that autologous adipose-derived stem cells harvested from patients can be used to treat bone defects.'

Meanwhile, this result represents the research team's fourth consecutive publication in BONE. Their work was also internationally recognized for excellence when it won the Best Paper Award at the European Paediatric Orthopaedic Society in both 2009 and 2010.