Building Bones to Fight Osteoporosis

The first clinical trial of a new therapy, which uses the patient's own bone marrow to grow new cells and strengthen bones, is underway in the U-M Medical School. If the trial's results show promise, the treatment one day could help millions suffering from osteoporosis — a degenerative disorder in which bones slowly become thinner and weaker.

"Current treatments try to stop osteoporosis from getting worse and prevent additional bone loss," says Robert W. Lash, M.D., a clinical associate professor of internal medicine in the Medical School. "One of our goals is to develop new therapies that can help people build new bone."

Technology developed by Ann Arbor biotechnology firm Aastrom Biosciences, Inc., is an integral part of the new treatment. "We take a small amount of the patient's bone marrow and put it into a special device called the AastromReplicell™ System," says Lash. "The system grows these cells in very, very large numbers, which we then return to the patient." When these bone-forming or bone progenitor cells are injected back into the patient they hone in on places in the body with bone — in effect, going where they are needed to strengthen existing bone.

"We hope to give patients enough of these active, bone-forming cells to turn on the bone-producing process to a much greater degree than would occur naturally," says Lash. Currently, the therapy is being tested on women with significant osteoporosis and is not designed for patients with minimal bone loss or for those who are concerned about bone loss in the future. Lash emphasizes that preventive measures are still vitally important in warding off osteoporosis. "Our goal is always to prevent osteoporosis, and we certainly encourage women to take calcium and vitamin D from their teenage years through their adult years," Lash says. "We urge people to maintain healthy lifestyles, to exercise, not to smoke, and not to drink excessive amounts of caffeine or alcohol."

-Valerie Gliem

Read the complete story on the Web at:
www.med.umich.edu/1libr/1cellreg.htm

For more information on Robert Lash, visit:
www.med.umich.edu/intmed/endocrinology/Lash.html

For general information on osteoporosis, please see:
www.med.umich.edu/1libr/womens/gyn07.htm