Osteoarthritis (OA) is a complex disease characterized by mitochondrial dysfunction (small engines of cellular life) leading to cell death and joint degeneration. With more than 300 million people affected worldwide, the need for effective treatments is urgent. Traditional therapies for OA focus primarily on pain and inflammation control, but a shift toward disease-modifying treatments is essential.
Researchers at the IMPACT center at the University of the Andes are leading a study that addresses cartilage energy deficiency with an innovative approach that uses mitochondrial transfer of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from donated umbilical cords to restore metabolic health to damaged cartilage. Rather than treating symptoms, this technique targets cellular dysfunction at the heart of osteoarthritis, addressing an unmet medical need in patient care.
The study, published this month in the scientific journal Theranostics, highlights an important mechanism: MSCs can directly donate their healthy mitochondria to the chondrocytes (principal cells found in cartilage) of OA patients, revitalizing their energy production. Instead of injecting whole cells, the authors propose a method of transferring healthy mitochondria isolated from MSCs, previously tested in OA clinical trials, to preserve joint integrity and slow disease progression.
Angela Court, first co-author of the study explains, “By transferring mitochondria from healthy stem cells into osteoarthritic cartilage cells, we can restore energy balance and reduce detrimental oxidative stress. This cell-free approach addresses the underlying causes of cartilage degradation in OA at the cellular level.”
Patricia Luz-Crawford, IMPACT principal investigator, emphasizes, “Our research reveals a dynamic interaction between mitochondria and chondrocytes that challenges the traditional view of cell therapy. Understanding metabolic change in osteoarthritis is crucial, as restoring energy balance may open new avenues for therapeutic strategies.”
Fernando Figueroa, a rheumatologist at Clinica Universidad de los Andes and senior author of the paper, says, “We are cautiously optimistic that this approach could lead to therapies that not only alleviate symptoms, but also slow or potentially reverse joint damage. Our findings are particularly exciting because they offer a new direction for osteoarthritis treatment that focuses on modifying the disease process rather than just managing the patient’s symptoms.”
Maroun Khoury, one of the paper’s corresponding authors and director of IMPACT, adds, “In osteoarthritis, power plants in cartilage cells become dysfunctional. Our approach provides new efficient power generators. By transplanting healthy mitochondria, we are ‘restructuring’ the energy network of damaged cartilage and potentially rejuvenating the entire joint ecosystem, probably through an anti-inflammatory effect.”
Next steps for the research team include exploring its long-term effects, with the hope of moving toward human clinical trials in the coming years. The IMPACT center team along with Cells for Cells is currently in the execution phase of a clinical trial using Cellistem OA, a treatment based on stem cells isolated from umbilical cords. This is the same source from which mitochondria have been isolated in their recent research. This breakthrough could facilitate the clinical arrival of this new treatment, offering an innovative and potentially effective option to address osteoarthritis. The combination of these clinical and basic research efforts is key to improving therapeutic options for patients affected by this disease.