Japanese researchers found that cartilage stem cells exist in human ears

Japanese researchers published a paper on the Internet version of the "Journal of the National Academy of Sciences" a few days ago that they found stem cells that can develop into cartilage in the human ear.

A team led by Yoshiaki Taniguchi of Yokohama City University researched the ear cartilage removed from patients with microarthrolysis and found that there is a special kind of cell in the membrane that covers the ear cartilage. This cell has the nature of stem cells that develop into tissues such as cartilage. .

The researchers succeeded in incubating this cartilage stem cell into a mature chondrocyte in a test tube, transplanting it on the back skin of the rat and eventually forming cartilage. This regenerated cartilage was maintained in experimental mice for approximately 10 months.

The research team believes that using this result, in the future in the treatment of facial deformities such as nasal bone fractures, facial fractures, etc., it is expected to collect cartilage stem cells from the patient's ears, perform chondrocyte culture and transplant into the patient's abdominal subcutaneous fat, and other chondrocytes develop into certain The degree of cartilage is transplanted to the affected area.

Researchers plan to start clinical research as early as next year after obtaining the approval of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan.