Grant: Operating Grant

Articular cartilage covers the ends of bones in joints and provides lubricating surfaces for painless joint movement. Cartilage lesions can develop from trauma or other predisposing conditions and progress to arthritis where cartilage is destroyed. Cartilage lesions are difficult to treat before joint destruction occurs. One method to treat them is practiced by orthopaedic surgeons where they pierce the bone underneath the cartilage to induce a healing response. Very little is known about how healing occurs in these procedures or what determines successful healing versus failure. Our studies examine the parameters that can influence repair in order to design procedures that maximise successful regeneration of articular cartilage. We will be studying the way specific surgical techniques influence the success of cartilage repair procedures and how the implantation of biomaterials on top of a surgically prepared cartilage lesion can further improve outcome. Potential outcomes include novel surgical instrumentation and new biomaterials to aid the regeneration of articular cartilage and reduce the development of arthritis.