(Press-News.org) Unlike our bones, the cartilage inside our joints is not vascularized (i.e., it has no blood vessels). This is one reason why cartilage does not heal well after an injury. In athletes in particular, joint injuries often result in cartilage degeneration and arthritis. The process is chronic and irreversible, and to this day, no effective treatment exists.
EPFL scientists Dominique Pioletti and Harm-Anton Klok have developed a hydrogel that promotes cartilage regeneration. In a joint, cartilage-producing cells only respond to treatment if they are mechanically stimulated at the same time, for example in the knee joint when a person is walking. To exploit this fact, the scientists created a hydrogel that delivers a therapeutic drug to the cells only when they are undergoing repetitive movement. The results of their work, which is part of the "Smart Materials" Swiss National Research Project (PNR 62), have been published in the journal Biomaterials.
Targeted and timed delivery
The cells that produce cartilage in a joint are called chondrocytes. When a joint is at rest, its chondrocytes are mostly inactive. However, when the same joint is moving, its chondrocytes activate receptors that are sensitive to growth factors produced by the body. At the same time, the chondrocytes become sensitive to treatments that help them regenerate damaged cartilage. "The receptors involved only appear after 5-20 minutes of repetitive movement," says Prof. Pioletti. "We therefore had to develop a way to time the release of the medication."
When a knee joint is in movement, friction generates heat. The method developed by the EPFL scientists is based on this concept. The viscous hydrogel matrix is designed to deliver the drugs it carries only when it reaches a certain threshold temperature, that is, after a specific number of repeated movements. Technically, the matrix contains liposomal nanoparticles as well as a therapeutic agent, TGF-beta growth factor. The matrix heats up during repeated movements. After 5-10 minutes, under the effect of the heat, the diameter of the nanoparticles decreases by a third, causing gaps to form in the matrix through which the growth factor can flow out into the target area. This mechanism thus makes it possible to time the release of the drug, delivering it at the most optimal moment to help the joint regenerate its cartilage.
A minimally invasive procedure
One way of implementing this approach in the future would involve arthroscopically implanting the matrix at the site of the damaged cartilage. Then, via targeted physical therapy, the joint would be mobilized to maximize the effect of the medicine.
More work has to be done before the team's innovative method actually reaches the market. At present, the team has proven the concept from a mechanical standpoint, having successfully delivered a colored dye used in place of the growth factor, but the technique still needs to be fine-tuned. "Several doctors have shown an interest in our approach," says Prof Pioletti, "and now we need to find partners and improve the method for in vivo tests."
INFORMATION:
Cartilage damage could be repaired
Scientists develop new method to regenerate cartilage
2013-10-11
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Crystals in Picabo's rocks point to 'recycled' super-volcanic magma chambers
2013-10-11
EUGENE, Ore. -- (Oct. 11, 2013) -- A thorough examination of tiny crystals of zircon, a mineral found in rhyolites, an igneous rock, from the Snake River Plain has solidified evidence for a new way of looking at the life cycle of super-volcanic eruptions in the long track of the Yellowstone hotspot, say University of Oregon scientists.
The pattern emerging from new and previous research completed in the last five years under a National Science Foundation career award, said UO geologist Ilya N. Bindeman, is that another super-eruption from the still-alive Yellowstone volcanic ...
Cell growth discovery by UCSF team has implications for targeting cancer
2013-10-11
The way cells divide to form new cells — to support growth, to repair damaged tissues, or simply to maintain our healthy adult functioning — is controlled in previously unsuspected ways UC San Francisco researchers have discovered. The findings, they said, may lead to new ways to fight cancer.
The steps leading a quiet cell to make and divvy up new parts to form daughter cells rely on some of the cell’s most complex molecular machines. Different machines play key roles at different stages of this cell cycle. Each of these cellular machines consists of many proteins ...
Researchers find rust can power up artificial photosynthesis
2013-10-11
CHESTNUT HILL, MA (Oct. 11, 2013) – Chemists at Boston College have achieved a series of breakthroughs in their efforts to develop an economical means of harnessing artificial photosynthesis by narrowing the voltage gap between the two crucial processes of oxidation and reduction, according to their latest research, published this week in the journal Angewandte Chemie.
The team reports it has come within two-tenths of the photovoltage required to mimic oxidation and reduction respectively using unique photoanodes and photocathodes the team developed using novel nanowire ...
Uniformity: The secret of better fusion ignition
2013-10-11
One of the ways to achieve thermonuclear fusion is through a controlled reaction between two light variants of hydrogen, called deuterium and tritium. Mauro Temporal, from the École Normale Supérieure Cachan, in France, and colleagues have made theoretical calculations indicating how best to improve the ignition stage of fusion reaction. Their approach, described in a paper published in EPJ D, involves increasing the uniformity of irradiation using high-power laser beams on the external shell of a spherical capsule containing a mix of deuterium and tritium.
Reaching ...
Turning vapors into foam-like polymer coatings
2013-10-11
Polymers -- the essential component of plastics -- are found in countless commercial, medical, and industrial products. Polymers that are porous are called foam polymers and are especially useful because they combine light weight with rigid mechanical properties. Now a researcher at the University of Rochester has developed a process to grow highly customizable coatings of foam-like polymers.
The process, developed by Mitchell Anthamatten, a chemical engineer at the University's Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Science, involves growing foam polymers directly from ...
CNIO researchers discover a new regulator of drug detoxication
2013-10-11
Drug abuse and alcohol are some of the most frequent causes of liver damage, particularly in developed countries. Such kind of liver damage can cause irreversible liver failure and even cancer. Researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) have discovered an important new protective role of the Fra-1 protein, which neutralizes the damage caused by agents, such as the analgesic drug acetaminophen (Paracetamol). This is the first study to reveal a function of Fra-1 in protecting this important organ. The study is published today in the journal Hepatology.
The ...
Badgers ultimately responsible for around half of TB in cattle, study estimates
2013-10-11
Badgers are ultimately responsible for roughly half of tuberculosis (TB) in cattle in areas with high TB prevalence, according to new estimates based on data from a previous badger culling trial.
However, only around six per cent of infected cattle catch TB from badgers, with onward transmission between cattle herds accounting for the remainder, the study suggests.
The findings are published in the journal PLOS Currents: Outbreaks.
The role of badgers in spreading bovine TB has been debated intensely as part of discussions about whether badgers should be culled to control ...
Targeted treatment plus chemotherapy could benefit women with ovarian cancer
2013-10-11
Conventional chemotherapy could further extend life in some women with ovarian cancer when used in tandem with a new type of targeted treatment, a new international study shows.
The research, published in the October issue of the journal Clinical Cancer Research, provides important evidence that PARP inhibitor drugs and chemotherapy can both be effective in the same patients, helping women live longer than they would if treated with chemotherapy alone.
The study, in women with mutations to BRCA genes – which increase the risk that ovarian cancer will relapse after treatment, ...
Packaging stem cells in capsules for heart therapy
2013-10-11
Stem cell therapy for heart disease is happening. Around the world, thousands of heart disease patients have been treated in clinical studies with some form of bone marrow cells or stem cells.
But in many of those studies, the actual impact on heart function was modest or inconsistent. One reason is that most of the cells either don't stay in the heart or die soon after being introduced into the body.
Cardiology researchers at Emory have a solution for this problem. The researchers package stem cells in a capsule made of alginate, a gel-like substance. Once packaged, ...
Oral nutritional supplement use in pediatric inpatients decrease hospital stay and costs
2013-10-11
A new study has found that the use of oral nutritional supplements provided to pediatric patients during hospitalization was associated with a decrease in length of stay of 14.8 percent and a decrease in hospital stay costs of $1,768 per patient. The study, conducted by leading researchers at the University of Southern California, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, and Precision Health Economics, and supported by Abbott, is being presented this weekend at the 2013 North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Hear here: How loudness and acoustic cues help us judge where a speaker is facing
A unique method of rare-earth recycling can strengthen the raw material independence of Europe and America
Epilepsy self-management program shows promise to control seizures, improve mood and quality of life
Fat may play an important role in brain metabolism
New study finds no lasting impact of pandemic pet ownership on human well-being
New insights on genetic damage of some chemotherapies could guide future treatments with less harmful side effects
Gut microbes could protect us from toxic ‘forever chemicals’
Novel modelling links sea ice loss to Antarctic ice shelf calving events
Scientists can tell how fast you're aging from a single brain scan
U.S. uterine cancer incidence and mortality rates expected to significantly increase by 2050
Public take the lead in discovery of new exploding star
What are they vaping? Study reveals alarming surge in adolescent vaping of THC, CBD, and synthetic cannabinoids
ECMWF - delivering forecasts over 10 times faster and cutting energy usage by 1000
Brazilian neuroscientist reveals how viral infections transform the brain through microscopic detective work
Turning social fragmentation into action through discovering relatedness
Cheese may really be giving you nightmares, scientists find
Study reveals most common medical emergencies in schools
Breathable yet protective: Next-gen medical textiles with micro/nano networks
Frequency-engineered MXene supercapacitors enable efficient pulse charging in TENG–SC hybrid systems
Developed an AI-based classification system for facial pigmented lesions
Achieving 20% efficiency in halogen-free organic solar cells via isomeric additive-mediated sequential processing
New book Terraglossia reclaims language, Country and culture
The most effective diabetes drugs don't reach enough patients yet
Breast cancer risk in younger women may be influenced by hormone therapy
Strategies for staying smoke-free after rehab
Commentary questions the potential benefit of levothyroxine treatment of mild hypothyroidism during pregnancy
Study projects over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030 if USAID defunding continues
New study reveals 33% gap in transplant access for UK’s poorest children
Dysregulated epigenetic memory in early embryos offers new clues to the inheritance of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
IVF and IUI pregnancy rates remain stable across Europe, despite an increasing uptake of single embryo transfer
[Press-News.org] Cartilage damage could be repairedScientists develop new method to regenerate cartilage