For a long time, doctors have been striving to solve the problem of knee cartilage damage. Researchers in Melbourne have found a technique to "grow one's own" cartilage for treating cancer and replacing damaged cartilage.
At St Vincent's Hospital in Melbourne, researchers are currently able to cultivate knee cartilage from patient stem cells by extracting tissue. Using 3D printing technology, the researchers created a three-dimensional scaffold where the cartilage cells grow. According to The Sun Herald, cartilage grown in an area the size of a pea will take over 28 days, marking the first genuine growth of cartilage.
"This is very exciting work, we've passed through the toughest part, we've cultivated cartilage that we want to use in cartilage repair surgery," said lead researcher Associate Professor Damian Myers. "But normal cartilage repair surgery may only last two or three years because this lacks blood supply within the tissue itself," he added.
This bioengineering breakthrough still requires government support, with approximately $1.8 billion needed to continue the research. In the near future, there will be potential for growth; muscles, fat, bones, and tendons could be cultivated using the patient's own stem cells.
However, cartilage repair surgery will soon undergo clinical model testing.