The Latest Front In the War on Arthritis by SHIRLEY S. WANG
The repair of damaged human cartilage has been something that numerous scientists and engineers have been working on advancing for the last years. Constance Chu and Lisa Fortier have been testing a new technique of this on former racehorses and rodeohorses. The cartilage repair treatment they are trying to replace is called microfracture. This new method uses concentrated stem cells. Other advancements include looking for biological markers that indicate cartilage damage and if it would be receptive to tissue regeneration.
Cartilage damage is a leading cause of osteoarthritis. While previous treatments for osteoarthritis include physical therapy, splints, arthroscopic surgery, and other methods, it would be more beneficial to prevent cartilage damage so that it doesn’t lead to osteoarthritis.
The repair and diagnosis of damaged cartilage tissue are both difficult. There are numerous issues in regenerating cartilage tissue. The cartilage structure is hard to mimic according to Dr. Chu which has made it so far impossible to grow new tissue in humans. Advancements in imaging technology has led to improvement in finding the damaged tissue. The current regenerative method: microfracture, “creates inferior tissue to what we are born with,” states Dr. Chu.
However, research and testing is being done in order to foster the regrowth of healthy tissue in humans. The different methods that Dr. Chu is investigating involve the usage of stem cells to repair the cartilage tissue. She believes that a higher concentration of stem cells will be more beneficial for the regeneration of human cartilage.
I wrote about this article because I am very interested in tissue engineering. With the technology and advancements we have made in the last few years, I know we are on the brink of many new discoveries in this field. The topic of damaged cartilage and tissue is also very interesting to me. I tore my anterior cruciate ligament in 11th grade and had arthroscopic surgery. A piece of my hamstring became my new ACL. There are numerous advancements to be made in both the diagnosis of and treatment of damaged cartilage. It is exciting to see how much progress has been made in this field in the last few years as well as to see how much further it will advance in the future.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704350304574638132988984884.html
Cartilage damage is a leading cause of osteoarthritis. While previous treatments for osteoarthritis include physical therapy, splints, arthroscopic surgery, and other methods, it would be more beneficial to prevent cartilage damage so that it doesn’t lead to osteoarthritis.
The repair and diagnosis of damaged cartilage tissue are both difficult. There are numerous issues in regenerating cartilage tissue. The cartilage structure is hard to mimic according to Dr. Chu which has made it so far impossible to grow new tissue in humans. Advancements in imaging technology has led to improvement in finding the damaged tissue. The current regenerative method: microfracture, “creates inferior tissue to what we are born with,” states Dr. Chu.
However, research and testing is being done in order to foster the regrowth of healthy tissue in humans. The different methods that Dr. Chu is investigating involve the usage of stem cells to repair the cartilage tissue. She believes that a higher concentration of stem cells will be more beneficial for the regeneration of human cartilage.
I wrote about this article because I am very interested in tissue engineering. With the technology and advancements we have made in the last few years, I know we are on the brink of many new discoveries in this field. The topic of damaged cartilage and tissue is also very interesting to me. I tore my anterior cruciate ligament in 11th grade and had arthroscopic surgery. A piece of my hamstring became my new ACL. There are numerous advancements to be made in both the diagnosis of and treatment of damaged cartilage. It is exciting to see how much progress has been made in this field in the last few years as well as to see how much further it will advance in the future.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704350304574638132988984884.html
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