Mimicking Human Cartilage to Repair a Knee
This article is about the design of knee patches that are engineered to mimic the composition of human bone and cartilage. These small plugs would support new tissue growth in the knee. These cylindrical devices are known as osteochondral scaffolds. They can be inserted via an arthroscopic procedure. As a result of the implantation of this device, “stem cells from the bone marrow that can form bone or cartilage impregnate the pores of the cylinder.” This helps in fostering and supporting new tissue growth.
One of these scaffolds was developed by Orthomimetics. According to Laura Gibson, one of the inventors, “the scaffold guides the tissue formation of bone on one side and cartilage on the other.” It provides a temporary engineered matrix when inserted into a drilled hole. After about six months the scaffold is dissolved by enzymes in the cell.
There are some advantages behind these scaffolds/plugs. These cylinders help protect the bones in the knee joint from rubbing against one another. Also, surgeons often take tissue from another part of the knee/leg to replace tissue in injured knees. However, many people don’t have a lot or even enough tissue for this process to be done. With these scaffolds, surgeons don’t have to take tissue from the patient’s body. Instead they can use the plug/scaffold to help foster the growth of new tissue in the damaged area. This cartilage repair can also be implanted where surgeons have taken tissue out of the body in the past These scaffolds are very beneficial in that surgeons no longer have to take the risk of damaging other places in the knee when removing cartilage.
This article was very interesting to me. Three years ago I tore my anterior cruciate ligament and had surgery. During this surgery the surgeon took a piece of my hamstring and attached it to where my ACL was torn. This has become my new ACL. While the surgery went very well, there was significant bruising in my leg where the graft was used to move tissue from my hamstring to my knee. The implantation of these devices is supposed to be a less traumatic surgery, and it is less invasive. Surgeons do not have to remove cartilage from any other place in the body. Instead they can just insert these scaffolds. These devices that help support tissue growth in the knee would be very beneficial to many people, especially athletes. This device is a huge step forward in helping foster and guide the growth of tissue in the knee in a less invasive manner.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/business/16novelties.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=human%20cartilage%20in%20knee&st=cse
One of these scaffolds was developed by Orthomimetics. According to Laura Gibson, one of the inventors, “the scaffold guides the tissue formation of bone on one side and cartilage on the other.” It provides a temporary engineered matrix when inserted into a drilled hole. After about six months the scaffold is dissolved by enzymes in the cell.
There are some advantages behind these scaffolds/plugs. These cylinders help protect the bones in the knee joint from rubbing against one another. Also, surgeons often take tissue from another part of the knee/leg to replace tissue in injured knees. However, many people don’t have a lot or even enough tissue for this process to be done. With these scaffolds, surgeons don’t have to take tissue from the patient’s body. Instead they can use the plug/scaffold to help foster the growth of new tissue in the damaged area. This cartilage repair can also be implanted where surgeons have taken tissue out of the body in the past These scaffolds are very beneficial in that surgeons no longer have to take the risk of damaging other places in the knee when removing cartilage.
This article was very interesting to me. Three years ago I tore my anterior cruciate ligament and had surgery. During this surgery the surgeon took a piece of my hamstring and attached it to where my ACL was torn. This has become my new ACL. While the surgery went very well, there was significant bruising in my leg where the graft was used to move tissue from my hamstring to my knee. The implantation of these devices is supposed to be a less traumatic surgery, and it is less invasive. Surgeons do not have to remove cartilage from any other place in the body. Instead they can just insert these scaffolds. These devices that help support tissue growth in the knee would be very beneficial to many people, especially athletes. This device is a huge step forward in helping foster and guide the growth of tissue in the knee in a less invasive manner.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/business/16novelties.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=human%20cartilage%20in%20knee&st=cse
posted by Natasha Inamdar at 9:19 AM
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