A simple injection that blocks an aging protein helped old mice regrow the cartilage in their knee joints, according to a study from Stanford Medicine that could change the future for millions of people suffering from painful joint problems. The treatment works on knee cartilage that naturally wears down as we age, and it also prevented arthritis from developing after knee injuries like torn ACLs that athletes often experience. Right now, one out of every five adults in America suffers from painful joint disease that costs about 65 billion dollars in healthcare every year, and doctors can only offer prevention strategies or surgery since no drug exists that can actually reverse the damage. The injection blocks a protein that increases as we age and destroys cartilage, and when researchers tested it on old mice, the results were so dramatic that it took them completely by surprise as thin worn down knee cartilage became thick and healthy again.
Even more exciting, when researchers tested the treatment on human tissue taken from patients who were getting knee replacement surgery, the tissue started regrowing healthy cartilage after just one week, suggesting that someday people might be able to avoid joint replacement surgery entirely. The treatment also helped mice with knee injuries similar to what happens to people who play sports like soccer, basketball, and skiing, where about half of all injured athletes develop arthritis within 15 years even after surgery repairs the damage. A pill version of this treatment is already being tested in people to help with age related muscle weakness, and it’s proven safe so far, which means trials for knee problems could start soon. Scientists hope that in the future, people will be able to regrow their own cartilage and skip the operating room completely, making painful joint replacements a thing of the past.
