A new artificial cartilage – Kevlartilage – mimics the magic of the real thing

Kevlartilage is a promising new development in the synthetic cartilage arena, says research in Advanced Materials.

Cartilage is about 80% water and withstands some of the toughest forces on our bodies. With a growing number of people opting for joint replacements, the demand for a good replacement for cartilage is high. Clinical trials of a variety of products are underway.

Now a new option has surfaced. The Kevlar-based hydrogel combines a network of tough nanofibres from Kevlar (the “aramid” fibres best known for making bulletproof vests) with a material commonly used in hydrogel cartilage replacements called polyvinyl alcohol (PVA).

As the nanofibers and PVA do not harm adjacent cells, Prof Nicholas Kotov who led the work anticipates that this synthetic cartilage may be a suitable implant for some situations, such as the deeper parts of the knee.

And the potential applications are not limited to cartilage. Prof Kotov suspects that similar networks, with different proportions of aramid nanofibres, PVA and water, may be able to stand in for other soft tissues.

“We have a lot of membranes in the body that require the same properties. I would like to evaluate the space,” he explains. “I will talk to doctors about where the acute need is and where this intersection of the properties will allow us to make best headway and biggest impact.”

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