Chondrocytes for Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis, or Degenerative Joint Disease, is an extremely common condition characterized by degradation of cartilage in joints, often accompanied by bone remodeling and bone overgrowth at the affected joints. The disease affects an estimated 21 million adults in the United States, mostly after age 45. The disease has many causes, but the end result is a structural degradation of joint cartilage and a failure of chondrocytes (cartilage-forming cells) to repair the degraded cartilage collagen matrix. We have derived chondrocytes from hESCs and, if in vitro and animal testing results are positive, we may test these cells in patients with osteoarthritis by injecting them directly into the affected joints.