According to the latest study in the field, stem cells can rebuild damaged bone tissue which means that the transplants of that kind of cells could be used to improve the treatment of rough fractures. The study was conducted by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and its findings have been presented Monday at the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in San Francisco.

The adult stem cells have the ability to regenerate damaged tissue. We all have stem cells in our bodies, but some people lack sufficient numbers of these cells which makes them unable to heal as they should.

During the study, UNC researchers used stem cells to treat fractures of the tibia (the long bone of the leg) in mice. The cells were engineered to express insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which help bones grow in strength and size. What researchers found out was surprising: the transplanted stem cells migrated to the exact spot of the fracture and enhanced the healing process by increasing the bone and cartilage that bridged the break.

The study showed that the fractured bone which received stem-cell treatment was three times stronger than a fracture which received standard treatment.

Leader of the study Dr. Anna Spagnoli, associate professor of pediatrics and biomedical engineering in the UNC School of Medicine, described the findings of the research as “critical” to patients who do not have the ability to heal properly.

The current statistics show that each year U.S. doctors treat about 600,000 patients whose bones don’t heal right, a situation that can cause long periods of immobilization, pain, bone deformities and in some cases even death.

Nearly 20% of all broken bones cannot heal on their own.

Stem cells are cells found in most multi-cellular organisms. They have the ability to renew themselves and to differentiate into a diverse range of specialized cell types.