Shriners Hospitals for Children— St. Louis in May celebrated the official opening of its research lab focusing on regenerative medicine and pediatric musculoskeletal research.
A Shriners’ research team lead by Farshid Guilak, PhD, professor of orthopedic surgery at Washington University in St. Louis, in 2016 created a 3D, biodegradable synthetic scaffold made from autologous stem cells that is molded into the shape of a hip joint as a substitute for conventional implants.
Guilak and his team are also combining this SMART (stem cells modified for autonomous regenerative therapy) cell technology with gene therapy in a strategy that could prompt the body to release anti-inflammatory molecules to combat degenerative musculoskeletal diseases.