UK researchers develop artificial replacement for damaged knee meniscus

Patients who have damaged their knees could in the future get help from a new artificial meniscus being developed by a team from Imperial College London, the college announced on Friday.

The knee meniscus is a structure that supports the mechanical integrity of the knee and helps to distribute impact. Meniscal tearing is a very common injury and often leads to severe pain, restricted movement, and osteoarthritis.

These tears occur most often in athletes and the elderly and rarely heal. There are treatments such as human tissue implants, but they are not widely available and it is still not clear if they are effective.

Now, researchers at Orthonika, a new business created by Imperial scientists jointly with the company Sierra MedTech, are developing an artificial knee meniscus that mimics the complex fibrous structure of real ones, which is able to cope with the high stresses and loads associated with the knee.

The meniscus has an extremely complex structure and is subject to high stresses. It needs to be both elastic and strong, capable of adapting to an individual's movement. "Our team have studied the structure of a natural meniscus and how it reacts to different forces to design a substitute that would function like a natural meniscus. We have also designed a surgical insertion procedure and related instruments, such as a secure means of fixation to the bone," said Professors Andrew Amis, who led the project.

The next steps at Orthonika will be to further advance and test knee meniscus designs. The researchers will also explore ways to develop the prototypes into a product for sale on the mass market, develop methods for how the technology can be applied in clinical settings and move towards obtaining the relevant regulatory approvals in the UK. Endit