HELSENORGE
OsteoStem

Using stem cells for clinical treatment of osteonecrosis

In the OsteoStem project, led by Kamal Mustafa and Evelyn Neppelberg, the researchers are evaluating the safety and efficacy of stem cells in the treatment of bone defects in patients with osteonecrosis.

Interiør laboratorium prøvebehandling. Foto
​Osteonecrosis is a therapy-resistant condition that causes significant discomfort for a large number of patients globally, and that currently has limited therapeutic options. The number of patients taking bone-modulating drugs is increasing, which emphasizes the need for developing reliable treatment options for this growing group of patients. The use of advanced therapy, in the form of cell therapy and tissue-engineered products, has been recently increased and considered as a promising new approach in regenerative medicine. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are adult multipotent (stem) cells capable of multi-lineage differentiation and self-renewal. MSCs also have immunomodulatory properties. The potential and value of cell-based therapies have been explored since the early nineties when MSCs were first applied for the regeneration of skeletal tissues. The results achieved in femoral head necrosis have been promising, and our research group, the Tissue Engineering Group​, has recently shown successful applications of MSCs for regenerating alveolar bone in healthy patients. Therefore, the purpose of the OsteoStem project is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of MSCs in the treatment of bone defects in patients with osteonecrosis. 

The project, led by Kamal Mustafa and Evelyn Neppelberg, will investigate the safety and therapeutic potential of MSCs derived from osteonecrosis patients in treating osteonecrosis. Furthermore, preclinical studies and in-depth evaluation will be performed focusing on the functional and genomic safety characteristics of MSCs derived from patients enrolled in the study in comparison with MSCs derived from healthy patients. The results from the project will improve our scientific knowledge regarding the safety, quality, and efficacy of autologous MSCs, in order to further expand the clinical applications to gradually include an increasing number of patients with different clinical conditions. As a result, the OsteoStem project could have a direct impact on the quality of life of a large number of patients and represents an innovative new therapeutic approach compared to the currently available therapies.

Project participants​​​​

Kamal Mustafa (PI)

Portrett Kamal Mustafa. Foto
Professor, Leader of the Tissue Engineering Research Group and Center of Translational Oral Research (TOR), Deptartment of Clinical Dentistry (IKO), UiB​

Evelyn Neppelberg (co-PI)

Portrett Evelyn Neppelberg. Foto
Director of the Head and Neck Clinic, Haukeland University Hospital (HUH)
Associate Professor, Department of Clinical Dentistry, UiB

Bjørn Tore Gjertsen

Portrett Bjørn Tore Gjertsen. Foto
Professor, Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Bergen
Senior Consultant of Haematology at the Department Medicine, Haukeland University Hospital
Chief of Research, Haukeland University Hospital, Helse Bergen Health Trust

Niyaz Al-Sharabi

Portrett Niyaz Al-Sharabi. Foto 
Researcher, Tissue Engineering Research Group, Department of Clinical Dentistry, UiB

​Torbjørn Ø. Pedersen

Portrett Torbjørn Ø. Pedersen. Foto
Consultant surgeon, Dept. of Maxillofacial Surgery, HUH
Associate Professor, Tissue Engineering Research Group, Department of Clinical Dentistry, UiB

​​Cecilie Gjerde

Portrett Cecilie Gjerde. Foto
Associate professor, Tissue Engineering Research Group, Department of Clinical Dentistry, UiB

Tarig Al-Hadi Osman

Portrett Tarig Al-Hadi Osman. Foto
Researcher, Tissue Engineering Research Group, Department of Clinical Dentistry, UiB

Sigbjørn Løes

Portrett Sigbjørn Løes. Foto
Head of Department, Dept. of Maxillofacial Surgery, HUH
Professor, Department of Clinical Dentistry, University of Tromsø

​Stein Atle Lie

Portrett Stein Atle Lie. Foto 

Professor, Biostatistician,Department of Clinical Dentistry, UiB

​​​​​Linda Elin Birkhaug​​ Stuhr

Portrett Linda Elin Birkhaug Stuhr. Foto
Professor, Department of Biomedicine, UiB

​​Daniela Elena Costea

Portrett Daniela Elena Costea. Foto
Professor, Department of Clinical Medicine, UiB

Salwa Suliman

Portrett Salwa Suliman. Foto
Researcher, Tissue Engineering Research Group, Department of Clinical Dentistry, UiB

Shuntaro Yamada

Portrett Shuntaro Yamada. Foto
Ph.D. candidate, Tissue Engineering Research Group, Department of Clinical Dentistry, UiB

Annika Rosén

Portrett Annika Rosé. Foto
Professor, Department of Clinical Dentistry, UiB​
Chief Dentist at the Dept. of Oral Surgery, Haukeland University Hospital (HUH)



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