New bioglass technology could make it possible to regrow cartilage

Researchers from Imperial College London and the University of Milano-Bicocca are working on new bioglass technology that could represent an important step forward in the treatment of cartilage damage.

The research team have created a material that mimics the shock-absorbing and load-bearing qualities of real cartilage, which may lead one day to the development of improved implant technology.

When it was first developed in the 1960s, bioglass helped heal bones of Vietnam War veterans who suffered injuries in war. However, there are a number of improvements in bioglass today.

It consists of silica and plastic or polymer called polycaprolactone and provides cartilage-like properties such as flexibility, strength, durability and resilience. It can also be made in a biodegradable ink form, which means it can be 3D-pritned into structures that encourage cartilage cells in the knee to form and grow and it has demonstrated self-healing properties when it gets damaged.

Synthetic bioglass cartilage disc implants could be created, for example, that provide the same mechanical properties as real cartilage, but without the need for the metal and plastic support devices that are currently available.

The team is also looking to create tiny biodegradable scaffolds using the bioglass ink, providing a template that replicates the structure of real cartilage in the knee. When implanted, the bioglass would encourage cartilage cells to grow through microscopic pores, with scaffold disappearing over time and leaving new cartilage in its place.

Prof Julian Jones, one of the developers of the bioglass from the department of materials at Imperial College London, says, “Patients will readily attest to loss of mobility that is associated with degraded cartilage and the lengths they will go to try and alleviate often excruciating pain.

“We still have a long way to go before this technology reaches patients, but we’ve made some important steps in the right direction to move this technology towards the marketplace, which may ultimately provide relief to people around the world.”

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