Research institutes from New Zealand and South Korea are joining forces to find viable treatment options for both humans and horses that lose cartilage. (Horses have knee cartilage that is similar in shape and load-bearing function to that of humans.) The researchers hope to regenerate degraded cartilage in people before it leads to osteoarthritis.
The institutions involved are Massey University and the University of Otago in New Zealand as well as Seoul National University, the Korean Institute of Science and Technology, Advanced Institutes of Convergence Technology and Kangstem Biotech in Korea. All are part of the newly-established strategic research partnership, funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.
The scientists involved aim to create specialized 3-D bio-scaffolds that mimic the texture and shape of cartilage in the knee joint. They plan to inject the scaffolds with stem cells obtained from umbilical cord blood to grow chondrocytes—the cells that are found in, and create, healthy cartilage. The chondrocytes and their supporting scaffold will then be implanted into the knee joints of horses to see if they will regenerate the cartilage there.
Massey University Professor of equine clinical studies Chris Riley, BSc, BVSc(Hons), MSc, Ph.D. says the strength of the partnership lies in bringing together scientists from different disciplines. “Innovation comes from sharing research capabilities. Massey brings expertise in animal research and animal modeling with the University of Otago developing the scaffolds and researchers from Seoul working on innovations in the isolation of stem cells from cord blood.”
The project is planned to run through 2017.
