Using a new biomaterial, scientists in the US have managed to repair an animal’s damaged joint cartilage, a breakthrough that could one day help avoid knee replacement surgery.
Cartilage holds our joints together and is very difficult to repair or replace once damaged. Most articular cartilage problems are currently treated by microfracture surgery, which induces cartilage growth by creating breaks in the bone. Cartilage damage is the main reason for most knee replacement surgeries.
Biomaterial repairs damaged cartilage: A breakthrough in regenerative nanomedicine
The new biomaterial was developed by scientists at Northwestern University and successfully used in sheep. In an experiment at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, it was injected into sheep with cartilage damage in the knee joint.
The biomaterial regenerated high-quality cartilage in the sheep’s knee joints. According to the university, it was able to not only repair the animal’s damaged knee joints but also grow new cartilage within six months.
The cartilage of the newborn contains natural biopolymers – collagen II and proteoglycans – which enable pain-free mechanical resilience of the joints, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The bioactive materials would be used to promote the self-organization of nanofibers into bundles that mimic the natural architecture of cartilage, it said.
The aim was to create an attractive scaffold for the body’s own cells to regenerate cartilage tissue. “Through bioactive signals in the nanofibers, the material promotes cartilage repair by the cells that populate the scaffold,” says a press release from Northwestern University about the experiment.
What is the bioactive material for cartilage repair made of?
The material is a “network of molecular components that work together to mimic the natural environment of cartilage in the body” and looks like sticky mucus, the press release states. After injection, the thick, paste-like material turns into a rubbery matrix, with new cartilage growing back and filling the defect.
It consists of a “bioactive peptide that binds to transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGFb-1) – an essential protein for the growth and maintenance of cartilage – and modified hyaluronic acid, a natural polysaccharide found in cartilage and the lubricating synovial fluid of joints,” the press release states.
Regenerative biomaterial: the future of joint therapy?
It is hoped that the bioactive material could one day be used to repair and regenerate damaged cartilage in humans, thereby avoiding procedures such as total knee joint replacement.
It can help with joint diseases such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis and treat sports injuries.
“When cartilage becomes damaged or deteriorates over time, it can have a major impact on people’s overall health and mobility. The problem is that cartilage in adult humans has no inherent ability to heal,” Samuel I. Stupp, lead author of the study from Northwestern University, is quoted as saying in the press release.
“Our new therapy can induce repair of tissue that does not naturally regenerate. We believe our treatment could help address a serious unmet clinical need.”
Stupp hopes that the new material could also be used in open joint surgery or arthroscopic procedures on joints.
(With contributions from agencies)
