EC Orthopaedics

Millions around the world suffer from arthritis, a chronic debilitating disease. The disease primarily is caused by progressive deterioration of the articular cartilage. So far, traditional treatments are symptomatic and not regenerative, thus pressing for the need of innovative approaches towards repair of cartilage. Recent advances in the form of stem cell therapy, tissue engineering, gene editing, and bioprinting represent an important step toward restoration of cartilage and theoretically reversing arthritis. It discusses the current status of cartilage repair and the emerging techniques, which seem to offer hope of correcting the root cause of arthritis. The therapies, within those based on stem cells, such as MSCs, have appeared to provide a window of possible regeneration through differentiation into chondrocytes or repair of the tissue. Other innovations include support for new cartilage growth in the form of structural scaffolds and hydrogels, while gene editing allows molecular level interventions. However, the latest innovation in bioprinting has been made to enable building very specific constructs of cartilage tailored to every patient. In sum, these new technologies make us believe that an arthritis cure is finally round the corner-but with challenges: regulatory hurdles, long-term efficacy, and accessibility to the patient. This article goes into an in-depth analysis about how these innovations push the field closer to an era where arthritis may no longer be an irreversible condition.

 Keywords: Cartilage Repair; Arthritis Treatment; Stem Cell Therapy; Tissue Engineering; Bioprinting in Orthopaedics

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