Triphasic calcium-based implant material resorbs and is replaced with bone in ovariectomized rats with or without bisphosphonate treatment.

This study evaluated the effects of AGN1, a triphasic calcium-based material, and alendronate (A) on distal femoral defect bone repair in ovariectomized (OVX) rats. Of 106 rats, 92 were OVX'ed at 12 weeks old and underwent a 12-week induction period. Animals were randomized into five groups: OVX Control, OVX Alendronate Control, Normal Control, OVX Implantation, OVX Alendronate + Implantation.

Accelerating the pace of discovery in orthopaedic research: A vision toward team science.

The landscape of basic science in the United States and around the world is changing, and the field of orthopaedic research is positioned to lead by embracing a culture of collaborative, team science that reflects our field's interdisciplinary nature. In this article we hope to address some of the cultural challenges and programmatic barriers that impede a team science approach in the US and suggest opportunities for change. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society.

Development of the Trevo ProVue Retriever for intracranial clot removal in acute ischemic stroke.

It is estimated that 15 million people worldwide have a stroke each year. Of the estimated 795,000 strokes that occur in the United States annually, the majority are ischemic strokes resulting from an obstruction within a vessel supplying blood to the brain. The treatment goal for these patients is to restore blood flow as quickly as possible.

Growth, differentiation capacity, and function of mesenchymal stem cells expanded in serum-free medium developed via combinatorial screening.

The presence of serum in cell culture medium presents an obstacle to safe and efficient production of hMSCs for therapeutic purposes. Availability of defined medium will be crucial to elucidating the mechanism of action of hMSCs in many indications as well as a prerequisite to consistently produce cells with predictable performance characteristics. Using a bioinformatics driven approach, which we call the BD Discovery Platform, we have developed a novel serum-free medium that supports highly efficient growth while maintaining the surface markers and functional characteristics defining hMSCs.

The introduction of an extracellular matrix-based scaffold to the marketplace.

Continuous application of new scientific knowledge is a central characteristic of modern medical practice. The current pace of medical innovation creates an environment of rapid change, and the introduction of innovative treatments in the area of regenerative medicine in orthopaedics prompts health care providers, medical device companies, patient advocacy groups, and health insurance payors to study the most optimal method for introducing these treatments to clinical practice. Questions regarding the role and value of preclinical testing, clinical trials, and postmarketing surveillance are pertinent to this discussion, and answers to these questions should culminate in a strategy that benefits patient care.

Efficacy of mesenchymal stem cell enriched grafts in an ovine posterolateral lumbar spine model.

Study Design: Four groups of 6 animals underwent single-level noninstrumented posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF) with one of the following grafts: 1) autograft, 2) cell-enriched beta-tricalcium phosphate (TCP), 3) TCP with whole bone marrow, and 4) TCP alone. Plain radiographs were taken after surgery and at death, 6 months after surgery. Explanted spine segments were analyzed by manual palpation, micro-CT, and histology.

Bone grafts prepared with selective cell retention technology heal canine segmental defects as effectively as autograft.

Using a canine critical-size segmental defect model, a two-phased study was undertaken to evaluate the healing efficacy of demineralized bone and cancellous chips (DBM-CC) enriched with osteoprogenitor cells using a Selective Cell Retention (SCR) technology. The goals of this study were: 1) to determine the bone-healing efficacy of SCR-enriched grafts versus autograft, and 2) to assess the value of clotting SCR-enriched grafts with platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Thirty dogs were included in Phase I: 18 dogs were treated with an SCR-enriched DBM-CC graft clotted with autologous bone marrow, and were compared to 12 autograft controls.