3-D printing may help treat osteoarthritis

In a Journal of Orthopaedic Research study, scientists used 3-D printing to repair bone in the joints of mini-pigs, an advance that may help to treat osteoarthritis in humans.

Specifically, the investigators used 3-D printing with a needle-array to generate articular cartilage and subchondral bone using constructs composed of mesenchymal stem cells derived from fat tissue.

Printed constructs were implanted into osteochondral defects created in the knees of six mini-pigs. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging tests revealed significant repair within the defects at three and six months post-implantation.