Lord above, I hope so. The cartilage in my left knee is almost completely gone and the same in my right isn’t far behind. It’s got me stuck to walkers, a wheelchair, and an electric scooter.
If you get a cut, it’ll heal. If you lose some skin to road rash, it’ll grow back. But lose a limb, and it’s gone for good. Unless you’re a salamander, a zebrafish or an axolotl, of course — all of which can regrow missing limbs. Now, scientists find that some of the molecules crucial to that process are at work inside of us.
Confirming that similar processes are working in different species means the scientific community can identify which microRNAs humans lack or have in short supply. Boosting their production in joints could, for example, slow cartilage degradation and maybe stop osteoarthritis. The condition, where joint cartilage degrades and makes moving painful, is one of the most common causes of disability in the world. Currently, the only option for treatment is to replace the joint entirely. If the tissue could be prompted to regenerate itself, then patients could avoid the pain and intense surgeries.
It may be a decade away – far too long for me – but there’s a possibility that researchers might assemble the right combinations of microRNA to heal arthritis.
Full story @ http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d...-finds-offering-hope-for-arthritis-treatment/