Disease Fact Sheet: Osteoarthritis (OA)
Unproven cell-based therapies to treat OA are used worldwide despite limited evidence from high-quality studies. In the United States, current experimental cell therapies for OA primarily involve cells obtained from autologous, minimally manipulated tissues, such as concentrated bone marrow aspirate (BMAC) and micro-fragmented adipose tissue (MFAT). When administered by appropriately trained clinicians, these treatments appear largely safe. Studies have demonstrated pain relief with cell therapies for knee OA, but more rigorous randomized trials have mostly revealed similar pain relief compared to standard care of treatments, and none have shown significant cartilage regeneration indicative of an arthritis cure.