Jan. 24, 2013 Rush University Medical Center is conducting the
nation's first clinical study of an innovative stem cell drug,
Cartistem, to repair knee cartilage damaged by aging, trauma or
degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis. Cartistem is
manufactured from mesenchymal stem cells derived from allogeneic
(donor) umbilical cord blood. Umbilical cord blood is a readily
accessible source of high-quality stem cells, is associated with
minimal health risks and carries relatively few ethical
concerns. The stem cells are mixed with hyaluronan, a natural
polymer that plays a major role in wound healing and is a
building block of joint cartilage. Cartistem is surgically
administered into the area of cartilage damage following an
arthroscopic surgery as an adjunct to microfracture, a commonly
used technique used to repair cartilage damage. The principal
investigator on the study is Dr. Brian Cole, a professor in the
department of orthopedics and anatomy and cell biology at Rush
University Medical Center. Dr. Co