Can we use the new drug bortezamib to activate stem cells into bone?
Massachusetts General Hospital is doing a study on this idea of using stem cells and bgb to regenerate bone tissue. Evidently when this medication is used to treat bone cancer, it in turn improved osteoporosis. MSC stem cells differentiate into different body tissues, one of which is bone. This study implies that this drug combined, with MSC cells can turn on these stem cells to enhance the bodies own repair mechanisms and cause bone formation.
The drug bortezamib is under examination to see if it can alleviate bone destruction associated with multiple myeloma and also to see if it could regenerate damaged bone by non cancer conditions. When the drug was added to MSC cells, it had the ability to reactivate damaged bone on non cancerous conditions. MSC’s have the ability to develop into bone building osteoblasts and other cell types like cartilage, fat, skin and muscle.
The hypothesis that Bzb increases osteoblast activity and bone fromation is accomplished by activating MSC’s. Because the current osteoporosis meds that act on osteoblasts and osteoclasts, have limitations, this ability to direct MSC’s could be a promising new approach to treating osteoporosis and cancer related bone loss. If this theory holds true on other tissues, we may have options for repairing other cell types affected by injury or disease with medications/stem cells. If this research comes to fruition, it sounds like it could have many applications way beyond bone formation, considering it's affects on muscle, skin, fat and cartilage.
This combination of cells and bgb could act as a regenerative type of medicine to facilitate the body’s own repair mechanisms. The idea of a regenerative medicine sounds very different to me, compaired to the modalities we are using now. If a drug combined with stem cells can differentiate into a osteoblast among other things, this would be a very novel approach to our current problems with bone loss. It seems like we would be harnessing an existing ability within the body by adding this drug to turn on osteoblasts in a totally new way.
Any thoughts??
Title: “Bone May Be Repaired By Turning On Adult Stem Cells”
Author: Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, of the MGH Center for Regenerative
Medicine (CRM) et al.
Date: 28 Jan 2008
Last edited by DesertBloom; 01-30-2008 at 07:56 PM.
Hi Taape: I appreciate your support on this. To me this seems ground breaking, in it's potential applications beyond bone probs. They mention that they have conducted two studies on this with different combinations of the MSC's and bgb, but it is in the earlier stages, so who knows how long it could take to make it to market, if it even does. Since there are multiple applictions, and so many I can't think of all of them right now, maybe that would speed the study along a little faster, since it isn't just for 1 or 2 medical treatments. I'll let you know if I hear anymore on it, but it does sound completely different than what we are using now. In their mouse models they saw very good results in bone formation, but bgb didn't work on stem cells that were destined for some other stem cell differentiation, other than those they mentioned. So if you're isolating the stem cells from bone marrow they would have to be the correct ones that transform into the cell type you are looking for, since they are predetermined ie bone.
Last edited by DesertBloom; 01-31-2008 at 09:07 AM.
Thanks DesertBloom for sharing what you found and explaining it so well for those of us who are science challenged. It is interesting that you mention this, at my appt with the rheum a few weeks ago she also mentioned stem cells. And, she had a very optimistic feeling about where all of the various research was going for osteoporosis.
Last edited by osteoblast; 01-31-2008 at 08:48 AM.
Hi Osteo: You're Welcome, I thought it was an interesting article from an new approach. I haven't heard anyone else discuss this so I'm glad your Rhuemy knew about it. You aren't science challenged!!! I think you understand more than you think, just don't get caught up in the medical jargon. Hopefully they will be able to take this idea in some positive direction...
