Maybe this will be available by the time I destroy my left knee due to bad walking habits brought on by spasticity which has no fucking cure.
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=164046&CultureCode=en
Scientists have developed a material that can mimic cartilage and potentially encourage it to re-grow.
Cartilage is flexible connective tissue found in places such as in
joints and between vertebrae in the spine. Compared to other types of
connective tissue is not easy to repair.
The researchers from Imperial College London and the University of
Milano-Bicocca have developed a bio-glass material that mimics the
shock-absorbing and load bearing qualities of real cartilage. It can be
formulated to exhibit different properties, and they are now hoping to
use it to develop implants for replacing damaged cartilage discs between
vertebrae.
They believe it also has the potential to encourage cartilage cells
to grow in knees, which has previously not been possible with
conventional methods.
The bio-glass consists of silica and a plastic or polymer called
polycaprolactone. It displays cartilage-like properties including being
flexible, strong, durable and resilient. It can be made in a
biodegradable ink form, enabling the researchers to 3D print it into
structures that encourage cartilage cells in the knee to form and grow –
a process that they have demonstrated in test tubes.
It also displays self-healing properties when it gets damaged, which
could make it a more resilient and reliable implant, and easier to 3D
print when it is in ink form.
One formulation developed by the team could provide an alternative
treatment for patients who have damaged their intervertebral discs. When
cartilage degenerates in the spine it leaves patients with debilitating
pain and current treatment involves fusing the vertebrae together. This
reduces a patient’s mobility.
The scientists believe they will be able to engineer synthetic
bio-glass cartilage disc implants, which would have the same mechanical
properties as real cartilage, but which would not need the metal and
plastic devices that are currently available.
Another formulation could improve treatments for those with damaged
cartilage in their knee, say the team. Surgeons can currently create
scar-like tissue to repair damaged cartilage, but ultimately most
patients have to have joint replacements, which reduces mobility.
The team are aiming to ‘print’ tiny, biodegradable scaffolds using
their bio-glass ink. These bio-degradable scaffolds would provide a
template that replicates the structure of real cartilage in the knee.
When implanted, the combination of the structure, stiffness and
chemistry of the bio-glass would encourage cartilage cells to grow
through microscopic pores. The idea is that over time the scaffold would
degrade safely in the body, leaving new cartilage in its place that has
similar mechanical properties to the original cartilage.
Professor Julian Jones, one of the developers of the bio-glass from
the Department of Materials at Imperial, said: “Bio-glass has been
around since the 1960’s, originally developed around the time of the
Vietnam War to help heal bones of veterans, which were damaged in
conflict. Our research shows that a new flexible version of this
material could be used as cartilage-like material.
“Patients will readily attest to loss of mobility that is associated
with degraded cartilage and the lengths they will go to try and
alleviate often excruciating pain. We still have a long way to go before
this technology reaches patients, but we’ve made some important steps
in the right direction to move this technology towards the marketplace,
which may ultimately provide relief to people around the world.”
The researchers have received funding from the Engineering and
Physical Sciences Research Council to take their technology to the next
stage. They are aiming to conduct trials in the lab with the technology
and develop a surgical method for inserting the implants. They will also
work with a range of industrial partners to further develop the 3D
manufacturing techniques.
Professor Justin Cobb is the Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery at
Imperial’s Department of Medicine. He will be co-leading on the next
stage of the research.
Professor Cobb added: “This novel formulation and method of
manufacture will allow Julian and his team to develop the next
generation of biomaterials. Today, the best performing artificial joints
are more than a thousand times stiffer than normal cartilage. While
they work very well, the promise of a novel class of bearing material
that is close to nature and can be 3D printed is really exciting.
“Using Julian's technology platform we may be able to restore
flexibility and comfort to stiff joints and spines without using stiff
metal and all its associated problems.”
Professor Laura Cipolla, from the Department of Biotechnology and
Biosciences at the University of Milano-Bicocca, added: “Based on our
background on the chemical modification of bio- and nanostructured
materials, proteins, and carbohydrates, we designed a new chemical
approach in order to force the organic component polycaprolactone to
stay together in a stable way with the inorganic component silica."
The team also includes PhD student Francesca Tallia from Imperial’s
Department of Materials and senior researcher Laura Russo, from the
Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences at the University of
Milano-Bicocca.
The technology still has a number of regulatory hurdles to overcome
before it reaches clinical applications for both applications. The team
predict it will take ten years to for both technologies to reach the
market. They have patented the technology with Imperial Innovations –
the College’s technology commercialisation partner.
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