Cartilage
Cartilage, the substance that lines joints and gives structure
to the nose and ears, is now being grown in the laboratory. In
one extraordinary case, a team of surgeons and scientists at
Children's Hospital in Boston used a youth's own cartilage to
"grow" a chest for him (he was born without one). Other
engineered cartilage is either on or near to entering the
market. One product uses a patient's own cartilage cells to
grow new cartilage for use in knee repair.
(6)
Another helps fix joint surfaces using small disks of
cartilage.
(4)
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