Recovering from bone fractures has always been a long ordeal, requiring months of rest before the bone heals to an acceptable strength for daily use. Researchers at the University of Georgia Regenerative Bioscience Center have created a gel like substance that incorporates mesenchymal stem cells that are known to produce a vital protein in the healing process. The researchers are calling it ‘Fracture Putty’ and claim that animal studies have shown that when applied to a bone fracture, can speed up the healing process from months to weeks.

The study is being funded by a $1.4 million dollar grant from the Department of Defense, in the hopes of developing better care for wounded soldiers.

“For many young soldiers, their mental health becomes a real issue when they are confined to a bed for three to six months after an injury,” said Steve Stice. “This discovery may allow them to be up and moving as fast as days afterward.”

Read the full article here.

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch have found through experimentation, that implanted Neural Stem Cells can substantially aid recovery after a traumatic brain injury.

“Axons and dendrites are the basis of neuron-to-neuron communication, and when they are lost, neuron function is lost,” said UTMB professor Ping Wu, lead author of a paper on the research appearing in the Journal of Neurotrauma. “In this study, we found that our stem cell transplantation both prevents further axonal injury and promotes axonal regrowth, through a number of previously unknown molecular mechanisms.”

The research thus far has only be preformed on laboratory rats, and computer simulations, but is seen as promising. You can read the full article here, on the UTMB website.