Bioengineered Tissue Implants Repair Injured Knee Cartilage

Knee cartilage injuries can be successfully repaired by tissue engineering and osteoarthritis does not block the regeneration process, according to UK researchers.

The study, led by scientists at the University of Bristol (UK), was published in the July 2006 issue of the journal Tissue Engineering, and revealed that engineered cartilage tissue can grow and mature when implanted into patients with a knee injury. This innovative tissue engineering application can lead to cartilage regeneration even in knees affected by osteoarthritis.

The tissue engineering technique utilized in this study involved isolating cells from normal cartilage removed during surgery from 23 patients with a median age of 36 years. After growing the cells in culture for 14 days, the investigators seeded them onto scaffolds composed of esterified hyaluronic acid, grew them for another 14 days on the scaffolds, and then implanted them into the injured knees of the study patients.

Cartilage regeneration was demonstrated in 10 of 23 patients, including in some patients with pre-existing early osteoarthritis of the knee secondary to traumatic injury. Maturation of the implanted, tissue-engineered cartilage was evident as early as 11 months after implantation.

Dr. Antony Hollander, professor of rheumatology and tissue engineering at Bristol University, who led the study, remarked "This is the first time we have shown that tissue-engineered cartilage implanted into knees can mature within 12 months after implantation, even in joints showing signs of osteoarthritis. Left untreated, many cartilage injuries will progress to osteoarthritis and the need for eventual replacement of the whole joint. Future investigations need to be carried out but this approach will allow us to improve further the outcome of cartilage repair.”



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