Treat of cartilage and osteoarthritis

Miguel Gama

Universidade do Minho, Braga, Portugal

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis and affects millions of people worldwide. It is an age-related condition that occurs when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of bones wears down. Although it can damage any joint, the condition most commonly affects joints in the hands, knees, hips and spine. It causes pain and disability, and carries a significant socio-economic and clinical burden.

Cartilage regeneration remains an unresolved clinical challenge. Attempts have been made to use bacterially derived nanocellulose, a hydrogel with properties very similar to the extracellular matrix of tissue, to facilitate the patient’s own cells in regenerating cartilage. However, the problem is that this material lacks pores large enough to allow the infiltration of endogenous cells once implanted in the body.

To overcome this challenge, the project will use laser technology to replicate the porosity of natural tissue in terms of size, morphology and spatial distribution in the material. The aim is to develop a personalised device that can be adapted to each patient, offering a structure as similar as possible to the tissue damaged by the disease. This structure will support the patient’s own cells to form new bone and cartilage.

Biomimetic Bacterial NanoCellulose medical device with gradient porosity for osteochondral repair

Stage 1