Cartilage DamageMillions of people throughout the world suffer from articular cartilage defects (i.e. defects in the cartilage of one or more of their joints) that are brought about by numerous different factors. Given that the cartilage in our joints provides a cushioning and gliding surface that enables us to move our limbs smoothly, such defects represent a source of considerable pain and discomfort. In a healthy state, cartilage enables our joints to withstand loads corresponding to seven times our body weight. Unfortunately, the extent to which the cartilage in the joints of adults is capable of regeneration is very limited. This means that most cartilage defects will not heal on their own - and will instead merely mark a transition to a more general process of degeneration known as osteoarthritis.
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| Healthy cartilage |
Damaged cartilage (stages 2-4) |
| Developed at the beginning of the 1990s by a Swedish team of researchers, chondrocyte implantation remains the only known method reconstructing the original joint surface. Chondrocyte implantation was originally performed in the context of open knee surgery. The damaged cartilage was first removed. Then a periosteal patch was used to cover the area before the chondrocyte cells were injected. The disadvantages of the open surgery, including heavy scar formation and an increased risk of adhesion and infection, inspired further developments in the method. Today, chondrocyte implantation is a minimally invasive, purely arthroscopic procedure. |
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| Image of cultured spheroids, each consisting of 82,000 autologous chondrocytes |
