I’m not sure if there is anything new here… sometimes these “science news” sites regurgitate old news based on old papers… as seems to be the case here.
Scientists have found a surprising way to regrow damaged knee cartilage by blocking a protein that becomes more abundant with age. In old mice, the treatment restored naturally lost cartilage and also helped prevent osteoarthritis after ACL-like knee injuries, while human cartilage taken from knee replacement patients began producing new, functional joint cartilage after exposure to the same inhibitor.
Blocking an aging-related protein caused worn knee cartilage to regrow in old mice and helped prevent osteoarthritis after ACL-like injuries. Human cartilage responded too, raising hopes that future drugs could repair arthritic joints and potentially reduce the need for knee or hip replacements. Credit: Shutterstock
Scientists have identified a way to restore cartilage in aging knee joints, at least in mice, by blocking a protein whose levels rise with age. The approach not only reversed naturally occurring cartilage loss in older animals, but also protected mice from developing arthritis after knee injuries similar to ACL tears in people.
The findings also showed promise in human tissue. Cartilage samples collected during knee replacement surgeries responded to the treatment by beginning to produce new, functional cartilage.
Together, the results suggest that cartilage damaged by aging or arthritis may be more capable of repair than previously thought. If the strategy ultimately works in people, researchers believe it could potentially lead to an oral medicine or injection that regenerates cartilage and reduces the need for knee or hip replacement surgery.
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I think this may just be republishing on this:
and: