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upstart writes in with an IRC submission:

Primitive stem cells point to new bone grafts for stubborn-to-heal fractures:

Previous studies have shown that stem cells, particularly a type called mesenchymal stem cells, can be used to produce bone grafts that are biologically active. In particular, these cells convert to bone cells that produce the materials required to make a scaffolding, or the extracellular matrix, that bones need for their growth and survival.

However, these stem cells are usually extracted from the marrow of an adult bone and are, as a result, older. Their age affects the cells' ability to divide and produce more of the precious extracellular matrix, Kaunas said.

To circumvent this problem, the researchers turned to the cellular ancestors of mesenchymal stem cells, called pluripotent stem cells. Unlike adult mesenchymal cells that have a relatively short lifetime, they noted that these primitive cells can keep proliferating, thereby creating an unlimited supply of mesenchymal stem cells needed to make the extracellular matrix for bone grafts. They added that pluripotent cells can be made by genetically reprogramming donated adult cells.

When the researchers experimentally induced the pluripotent stem cells to make brand new mesenchymal stem cells, they were able to generate an extracellular matrix that was far more biologically active compared to that generated by mesenchymal cells obtained from adult bone.

[...] To test the efficacy of their scaffolding material as a bone graft, they then carefully extracted and purified the enriched extracellular matrix and then implanted it at a site of bone defects. Upon examining the status of bone repair in a few weeks, they found that their pluripotent stem-cell-derived matrix was five to sixfold more effective than the best FDA-approved graft stimulator.

Journal Reference:
Eoin P. McNeill, Suzanne Zeitouni, Simin Pan, et al. Characterization of a pluripotent stem cell-derived matrix with powerful osteoregenerative capabilities [open], Nature Communications (DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16646-2)

Original Submission