Weaving cartilage in 3-D

Today, people who suffer from cartilage damage don't have effective therapies at their disposal. But now, researchers at the Duke University Medical Center have developed a weaving machine to repair cartilage. Using a patient's own stem cells in conjunction with their new three-dimensional fabric "scaffold" could lead to a better way to repair damaged joints. And the new cartilage created by using this method has the same mechanical properties as native cartilage, which is not the case of today's laboratory-grown cartilage. The researchers expect to start clinical trials in three or four years

Source: primidi.comAdded: 1 March 2007