Scaffold for meniscus repair

As the adult population ages, injuries to their knee joints—particularly torn menisci that were not repaired or poorly repair decades earlier—make a painful return.  With that in mind, Duke University bioengineers have developed an implantable scaffold that supports natural regeneration.  “The new scaffold is derived from pig meniscus, so it has a lot of the beneficial properties of natural tissue. It is created without any chemicals or enzymes, retaining a good deal of the natural properties needed to welcome new cells into its interior. Because the new material is very porous, more so than previously developed similar devices, native cells can penetrate and establish themselves within it much faster.”   MORE

Image Credit:  Duke University and MedGadget.com