4 ms·

what are the main technical/scientific obstacles towards cartilage regeneration?

• 1996 7y ago
  Differentiation of the cells. We can get stem cells from fat, blood, bone marrow etc. We can increase their lifespan (Hayflick limit) by lenghtening telomeres. Last time I checked we were starting to understand how to turn some cells pluripotent. But we don't know how to reliably say to a cell "now please become a cartilage cell forever" (or please form a tooth etc) When we know how to achieve that, the biotech revolution will truly begin
  • suby 7y ago
    Out of curiosity, do you have an idea on what the thinking generally is in the field in regards to if / when we'll be able to treat someone using cartilage regeneration, or other organ / nerve / limb regenerations? Were people expecting the breakthroughs we've already made on the timescale that we've had them? I have a deep ignorance of the field, but from afar it seems like we're on the verge of some truly revolutionary technologies.
    • carapace 7y ago
      Did you see "What Bodies Think About: Bioelectric Computation Outside the Nervous System"? https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18736698 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18736698
      • deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]
    • 1996 7y ago
      Regrowing teeth has been "coming very soon" for like 20 years. So I would take their predictions with a pinch of salt. Then again, we didn't understand methylation - we are starting to get that. I expect breakthrough about 5 years after we understand the pathways to differentiation and know how to do/undo methylation. See Aubrey de Grey Wilt idea- but take it with a pinch of salt too, as cells with short telomeres tend to do bad things and grow cancerous. Think about the opposite: infusions of stem cells turned young again (telomeres), then primed to differentiate into what we want (ex: knee: cartilage)