May 24, 2016 07:42 AM EDT By Mariel Peralta, UniversityHerald Reporter

Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) received a five-year $6.7 million federal grant to build the Center for Multimodal Evaluation of Engineered Cartilage. They will be using this building to house their research on engineered cartilage for patients suffering from cartilage damage. They hope to standardize engineered cartilage as knee implants to replace prosthesis and other devices someday.

Will Engineered Cartilage Replace Prosthetic Devices Someday?

The aim of CWRU and their new center for engineered cartilage is to test and improve its process. Engineered cartilage is basically made from a patient's own stem and cartilage cells, The Daily reported. CWRU is focused on recreating engineered cartilage for damaged knee cartilage. However, no one has yet to successfully manipulate and grow cartilage out of adult stem cells, much less implant it in patients with cartilage damage. So instead, they seek to influence the growth of engineered cartilage and determine if it is stable enough to be implanted.

As for, engineered cartilage being a permanent solution for cartilage damage, researchers say it may only be an option. However, if they have standardized engineered cartilage to be of optimal quality, it could open up to more possibilities.

Standardizing Viable Engineered Cartilage for Implantation is Complex

Researchers have a long way to go when it comes to determining the viability of engineered cartilage. They have to take a non-destructive route to assess and study the engineered cartilage until they make it to the time they are implantable. CWRU had experts from various science disciplines involved in the new center including chemical, electrical and mechanical engineering, cell and molecular biology, computer modeling and more, Eureka Alert noted. The experts will work simultaneously to develop improved methodologies, technologies and measures to make engineered cartilage a viable option for patients with cartilage damage soon.

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