Thomas A. Einhorn, M.D., is Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, and Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Biochemistry and Biomedical Engineering at Boston University. Since 1982, Dr. Einhorn has practiced as a leading surgeon specializing in reconstructive surgery of the hip and knee in Boston and New York. He is an internationally acclaimed leader in the field of regenerative medicine, an area heralded as the future of orthopaedics.

For two years, Dr. Thomas A. Einhorn has been performing breakthrough surgery to reduce the progression, and, in many cases, eliminate Avascular Necrosis of the Hip, utilizing a safe, innovative technique to grow new bone from the patient's own stem cells procured from bone marrow. Involving the direct inoculation of autologous bone marrow stem cells, which reduces the risk of rejection, this treatment has been practiced by only a few doctors, including Dr. Einhorn, nationwide. The success rate is highest when the disease is diagnosed in its early stage.

In orthopaedics, adult stem cells are derived from a patient's own body, not from fetal or embryonic sources.

The debate over biotechnology and human genetics centers around the current and future use of stem cells, as well as the misconceptions regarding the applications of embryonic and adult stem cells. While embryonic stem cells are procured from a developing embryo at the blastocyst stage, adult stem cells are found in all tissues of the growing human being, with the potential to transform into most of the other cell types, or remain as stem cells with greater reproductive capacity.

In adult organisms, stem cells and progenitor cells act as a repair system for the body, replenishing specialized cells, but also maintaining the normal turnover of regenerative organs, such as blood, skin, liver, bone and cartilage.

Dr. Einhorn's research at the Boston University Orthopaedic Research Lab has been funded by the National Institutes of Health since 1990. Working closely with a team of 50 physicians and scientists, including orthopaedic surgeons, Ph.D. scientists, graduate students, orthopaedic doctors in training, nurse practitioners, and post doctorate fellows, Dr. Einhorn continues to research and develop new therapies to enhance the repair of bone, and the blood supply to bone.

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Adult Stem Cell Breakthrough Surgery for Avascular ...