Researchers discover new treatment strategy for damaged cartilage

A team of researchers from POSTECH, Dongguk University Medical Centre, and Nature Gluetech in Korea have devised a therapeutic solution for damaged cartilage. It entails using a viscous immiscible liquid that, when combined with a sticky protein generated from mussels and hyaluronic acid, can assist in the transplanting of stem cells into damaged tissue.
Cartilage is a bone-protecting tissue that absorbs trauma and allows for fluid joint mobility. Despite its poor inherent healing capacity, stem cell transplantation is a viable therapeutic technique for dealing with cartilage inflammation and injury, as well as promoting cartilage regeneration.
The research, supported by the Korea Health Technology R&D Project through Korea Health Industry Development under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, has been published in the Chemical Engineering Journal. The researchers developed a novel bioadhesive material in the form of a viscous immiscible liquid phase to overcome the limitations of the conventional treatment strategy. This was achieved by combining adhesion protein derived from mussels with high-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid, which exhibits opposing charges and thus facilitates electrostatic interactions between them.
Professor Hyung Joon Cha, who led the research, stated, "The therapeutic effects of stem cells can be significantly enhanced by using mussel adhesion protein, an original biomaterial developed in Korea."
He also noted that "Because the liquid bioadhesive can be formulated for injection, it has the potential to be an effective treatment for damaged cartilage when used in stem cell transplantation via an arthroscope, similar to an endoscope.”