Sheep with 25 mm lesions in their hoof bones were then implanted with the coral scaffolds alone or with coral scaffolds infiltrated with either expanded MSCs or fresh bone marrow.

BBC: Coral heals serious fractures

The researchers showed that it could be used to grow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), a kind of primitive cell derived from bone marrow that can be easily grown in culture.

BBC: Coral heals serious fractures

In particular, the potential for mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to differentiate into multiple phenotypes - like fat, cartilage and bone - make them ideal building blocks for bone and cartilage tissue engineering in orthopaedics and rheumatology.

UNESCO: 2010 UK and Ireland Winners