New procedure helps regenerate meniscus

COLUMBIA, MO. — A new procedure helps regenerate cartilage without the use of drugs. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the process for trials in humans after Dr. James Cook, a professor of veterinary medicine and surgery at the University of Missouri-Columbia, used the process in more than 300 dogs.

"In our animal studies, we have been able to grow back 90 percent of the meniscus on average," Cook says. "Using the tissue engineering and biological stimulation through the implantation of a scaffold derived from pig intestines, we show the tissue where it needs to grow. With approval from the federal government, we will now be able to begin using this in humans in the first phase of clinical trials."

The meniscus typically does not heal on its own, and the damaged portion usually is removed but not replaced when a tear occurs. Though current surgical techniques relieve the pain and swelling in the short term, osteoarthritis — the most common form of arthritis — inevitably develops several years later.

Cook performed the burgeoning research for DePuy Orthopaedics, a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson Health Care Systems. Surgeons in Memphis and Indianapolis will complete the human trials. A second, nationwide trial will follow a successful first trial before the procedure will be available to the public.

Ideal patients for the trials are those in good health but are suffering from a meniscal tear that will extend to the vascular zone of the meniscus when surgically treated. But the surgery is not limited to new injuries. In select cases, the procedure might help older adults who experienced damaged knees years before, Cook says.

The implants currently are being used in rotator cuff injuries, skin grafts and bladder reconstruction in humans.