Articular cartilage therapy using cell sheet
Sato, M.
Clinical Calcium 23(12): 1751-1757
2013
ISSN/ISBN: 0917-5857 PMID: 24292529 Document Number: 666391
We previously reported achieving robust tissue repair in rabbits when covering only the surface layer of partial-thickness defects with layered chondrocyte sheets prepared in a temperature-responsive culture dish, and also reported excellent Safranin O staining and integration with surrounding tissue in a mini-pig model of full-thickness cartilaginous defects in the knee joint. Thus we discovered that the layered chondrocyte sheets have therapeutic effects on the two types of cartilage damage which often exist in the joints of osteoarthritis patients. We have confirmed the safety of human chondrocyte sheets, and have submitted a report to the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare in Japan. In 2011, the Ministry gave us approval to perform a clinical study of joint repair using cell sheets. We have just started implanting cell sheets in patients at Tokai University Hospital.