Researchers at the University of Southampton report that they have developed a new way to generate human cartilage tissue from stem cells. Their technique is described in a paper published in Science Reports today.
The current gold-standard surgical approach to restore regions of damaged cartilage, using cartilage cells, is not wholly successful. This is because survival of the repair tissue, generated by cartilage cells at the site of damage, has been shown to decrease significantly after five to ten years. As such, there is a need for a new way to promote robust, long-term repair through the implantation of cartilage tissue, as opposed to cartilage cells, at the site of damage.The team generated cartilage tissue in the laboratory by differentiating embryonic stem cells into cartilage cells, and then used these to generate three-dimensional pieces of cartilage tissue that were scaffold-free. The generated cartilage tissue is structurally and mechanically comparable to normal human cartilage with the potential to form a stable and longer lasting repair than current treatment options available to patients.
According to the team, they are the first to use the scaffold-free technique to generate cartilage tissue, which is scaled up beyond 1 mm without adversely affecting its structural and mechanical properties. The team hopes that eventually, after more research is conducted, this lab created tissue could be routinely used in surgery to mend damaged cartilage.