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A custom 3D printed hydrogel composed of cow-derived protein precisely repairs injured knee cartilages.  Orthopedic researchers at the University of Pennsylvania developed this technique to fabricate knee joint repair material with just the proper dimensions and stiffness.  They publish their work in the journal Bioactive Materials.

The hydrogel protein is derived from a mix of fetal and mature cow joint cartilage by removing cellular material to reduce the possibility of immune rejection of the implant.  To control the hydrogel’s mechanical properties including firmness, methacrylated hyaluronic acid is added.

Once this biogel is 3D printed biochemically and mechanically tunable

hydrogel is fabricated into an implant, lab tests demonstrate that it is well tolerated by living cells.  This biogel scaffold welcomes cells to grow into it over time, necessary for optimal tissue compatibility.  

Further preclinical animal studies are underway to refine this process in preparation for clinical trials.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452199X25000611?via=ihub

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2025/03/250328173518.htm

#knee #cartilage #3D printing #biogel #cow #implant