Bone breaks can be treated with biodegradable glue. Badly damaged cartilage often means joints need to be replaced.
Now, a US-based startup is focusing on the ‘pre-replacement’ stage and has developed a round implant with a multi-layered lattice structure to heal smaller injuries.
It is available in three sizes and is 3D-printed from a nylon composite base material. Using a repair kit in a minimally invasive procedure, the damaged cartilage is removed and the implant pressed into place.
Over time, blood and cells from the bone underneath settle in the lattice structure and form new cartilage tissue. Pre-clinical tests were successful.
There has already been research on a similarly effective bio-paste. Those wearing prosthetic limbs shouldn’t suffer unnecessary discomfort either.
