PRECIOUS - Precision Cartilage Engineering through Optimized Mechanical Loading using Spectroscopic Monitoring

The cartilage covering the joint surfaces often gets damaged during injury. These defects do not heal spontaneously and often progress towards osteoarthritis – a highly disabling condition affecting 600 million people worldwide. I aim to improve the outcome of cartilage repair surgery by creating replacement cartilage using an innovative approach involving cells embedded in hydrogels and mechanical stimulus in a novel bioreactor. Current engineered replacement cartilage does not withstand the heavy loads in the joint. We aim to solve this problem by using a bioreactor that monitors the properties of the developing tissue during culture using near infrared spectroscopy. This information is then used to adapt the bioreactor’s mechanical loading regime allowing for control of the engineered cartilage properties. The novel bioreactor will facilitate formation of patient-specific replacement cartilage and allow successful repair of the joint surface before it requires joint replacement.