Bioengineered Tissue Implants Regenerate Damaged Knee Cartilage.

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. -- Demonstrating that engineered cartilage tissue can grow and mature when implanted into patients with a knee injury, a study published in the July 2006 (Volume 12, Number 7) issue of Tissue Engineering describes how a novel tissue engineering strategy can lead to cartilage regeneration even in knees affected by osteoarthritis. Tissue Engineering is a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com). The paper is available free online at www.liebertpub.com/ten.

Anthony Hollander, Ph.D., Sally Dickinson, Ph.D., Trevor Sims, Paola Brun, Ph.D., Roberta Cortivo, Ph.D., and colleagues from the University of Bristol (UK), and the University of Padova, Istituti Ortopedici (Bologna), Policlinico di Monza, and Fidia Advanced Biopolymers (Abano Terme), Italy, in a paper entitled, "Maturation of Tissue Engineered Cartilage Implanted in Injured and Osteoarthritic Human Knees," conclude based on the results of this study that cartilage injuries in the knee can be effectively repaired by tissue engineering, and that osteoarthritis does not inhibit the regeneration process.

"Previously, it was thought that cartilage regeneration could only occur in a traumatized but otherwise healthy joint. This work expands on the applicability of this technology to include diseased joints. Although this is an early report, it suggests the potential to substantially expand the scope of cartilage repair to new populations, a welcome finding," says Peter C. Johnson, M.D., President and CEO of Scintellix, LLC and Co-Editor in Chief of Tissue Engineering.

The tissue engineering method used in this study involved isolating chondrocytes from healthy cartilage removed at arthroscopy from 23 patients with a mean age of 36 years. After growing the cells in culture for 14 days, the researchers seeded them onto scaffolds made of esterified hyaluronic acid, grew them for another 14 days on the scaffolds, and then implanted them into the injured knees of the study patients.

Cartilage regeneration was seen in 10 of 23 patients, including in some patients with pre-existing osteoarthritis of the knee. Maturation of the implanted, tissue engineered cartilage was evident as early as 11 months after implantation.

Tissue Engineering is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online that brings together scientific and medical experts in the fields of biomedical engineering, materials science, molecular and cellular biology, and genetic engineering. Tissue Engineering is the official journal of the Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS). Tables of contents and a free sample issue may be viewed online at www.liebertpub.com/ten.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Human Gene Therapy, Stem Cells and Development, and Cloning and Stem Cells. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 60 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available at www.liebertpub.com.