Development of novel scaffolds for cartilage repair

With an aging, sedentary and more overweight population, along with a growing number of sports injuries, we see an increasing extent of articular cartilage damage. These injuries are difficult to heal, and therefore various surgical techniques have been developed that are used to support healing. However, these have different limitations, meaning that there is room for innovation in the area. Central to this development are various degradable biopolymers, “scaffolds”, which can support the new formation of cartilage, a technique denoted “matrix-assisted chondrocyte implantation”. In order to improve the possibilities of developing new effective tools for healing of cartilage damage, our research group has gathered competences in biomaterials research, biomedicine and orthopaedic surgery. Knowledge exchange between these categories is essential to develop materials and methods that are effective for cartilage repair.

Picture: Hydrogels (scaffolds) in culture wells.