Scaffold Helps Cells Repair Torn Meniscus in Lab Tests

Scaffold-aided repair led to stronger meniscus, laying groundwork for potential human tests

DURHAM, June 19, 2019 – About a million times a year, Americans with a torn meniscus in their knee undergo surgery in hopes of a repair. Certain tears can’t be fixed or won’t heal well, and many patients later suffer osteoarthritis from the injury.

Scientists have tried developing scaffolds or structures from various materials, including plastic and textile fibers, to lay a foundation for new cells. In a paper published June 18 in the journal Scientific Reports, Duke scientists describe a more organic model — a scaffold derived from a pig’s meniscus, which performed better in lab tests than healing without a scaffold.

“A partial meniscus removal is one of the most commonly performed orthopedic surgeries in the U.S.,” said Amy McNulty, Ph.D., an assistant professor in orthopedic surgery at Duke and senior author of the paper.

“The damaged tissue must be cut out because it’s causing pain or catching, but when the tissue comes out it also alters load-bearing in the knee and often leads to osteoarthritis, so it would be beneficial to try and heal the meniscus in place using a tool like a scaffold,” McNulty said.

In lab tests, repairs aided by the scaffold resulted in a stronger meniscus repair after four weeks compared to a meniscus that went through the natural healing process.

A scaffold could be especially valuable when the meniscus tears near the inside of the crescent-shaped tissue where blood doesn’t flow. Without a blood supply, a tear in this section won’t mend and the tissue is often removed, McNulty said.

The pig-derived scaffold is advantageous over other models including synthetics, because it is processed without chemicals or enzymes, which helps it retain more natural properties, McNulty said. Also, the structure is more porous than other models and even regular meniscus tissue, which allows new cells to move into it more easily to integrate with damaged tissue.

“Cells from the native tissue appear to be naturally attracted to the scaffold — they want to move into it,” McNulty said. “Hopefully, this will lead one day to a scaffold being placed into different tears to augment healing and seamlessly integrate the pieces of damaged tissue.”

The next step is testing the scaffold in animal models and eventually in humans, she said.

In addition to McNulty, study authors include Jacob C. Ruprecht, Taylor D. Waanders, Christopher R. Rowland, James F. Nishimuta, Katherine A. Glass, Jennifer Stencel, Louis E. DeFrate, Farshid Guilak and J. Brice Weinberg.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants AG028716, AR048852, AG015768, AR073752, AG046927, AR073221, AR074800, and AR065527), the Arthritis Foundation, a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Research Service Merit Review Award, the Lord Foundation in support of the Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility Undergraduate User Program and an Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation grant with funding provided by the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation.

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Contact

Samiha Khanna
919-419-5069
samiha.khanna@duke.edu

About Peter Coffaro 474 Articles
A growth-driven and strategic executive, Peter Coffaro commands more than 25 years of progressive management success within the medical device industry. Recognized by the World Journal of Orthopedics, Exponential Healthtech, and MedReps.com as one of the top medical sales influencers in the industry; he has 10 years of combined sales management experience and has held positions as a Director, General Manager, Distributor, and Vice President. Peter has worked for some of the top orthopedic companies in the world - Zimmer, DePuy, and Stryker. He is also the founder of OrthoFeed: a popular blog that covers digital orthopedic news and emerging medical technologies. Peter is a three-time Hall of Fame award winner at Johnson and Johnson and has an extensive background in organizational development, business development, sales management, digital marketing, and professional education. Peter holds a B.S. degree in Biology and Chemistry from Northern Illinois University.

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