This biomaterial can repair and regenerate cartilage tissue. End in sight for knee replacement surgeries?

Using a new biomaterial, scientists in the US havesuccessfully repaired the damaged joint cartilage of an animal in a breakthrough that could someday help avoid knee replacement surgeries.

Cartilages are what hold together our joints, and are very difficult to repair or replace once damaged. Most joint cartilage issues are currently treated via microfracture surgery, which involves inducing cartilage growth by creating fractures 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 and successfully used in sheep by scientists at Northwestern University. It was injected in sheep with cartilage defects in the stifle joint in an experiment carried out at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

The biomaterial regenerated high-quality cartilage in the knee joints of the sheep.It was able to not only repair but also grow new cartilage on the damaged knee joints of the animal within six months, according to the university.

The newborn cartilage contained natural biopolymers - collagen II and proteoglycans- which enable pain-free mechanical resilience in joints, it said in a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The bioactive materials were used for driving the self-organisation of nanoscale fibres into bundles that mimic the natural architecture of cartilage, it said.

The goal was to create an attractive scaffold for the body’s own cells to regenerate cartilage tissue. "Using bioactive signals in the nanoscale fibres, the material encourages cartilage repair by the cells, which populate the scaffold," Northwestern University said in a release on the experiment.

What is the cartilage repair bioactive material made of?

The material is a "network of molecular components, which work together to mimic cartilage’s natural environment in the body," and looks like goo, said the release.Once injected,the thick, paste-like material transforms into a rubbery matrix, with new cartilage growing to fill the defect.

It consists of a "bioactive peptide that binds to transforming growth factor beta-1 (TGFb-1) — an essential protein for cartilage growth and maintenance — and modified hyaluronic acid, a natural polysaccharide present in cartilage and the lubricating synovial fluid in joints," said the release.

Regenerative biomaterial: Future of joint therapy?

There is hope that the bioactive material can eventually be used to repair and regenerate damaged cartilage in humans, avoiding the need for procedures like full knee replacements.

It can help in joint degeneration conditions like osteoporosis, and osteoarthritis and treatsports-related injuries.

“When cartilage becomes damaged or breaks down over time, it can have a great impact on people’s overall health and mobility. The problem is that, in adult humans, cartilage does not have an inherent ability to heal," the release quoted Samuel IStupp, lead author of the study from Northwestern University, as saying.

"Our new therapy can induce repair in a tissue that does not naturally regenerate. We think our treatment could help address a serious, unmet clinical need.”

Stupp hopes the new material could be also applied to joints during open-joint or arthroscopic surgeries.

(With inputs from agencies)