Functional articular cartilage regeneration remains challenging, and it is essential to restore focal osteochondral defects and prevent secondary osteoarthritis. Combining autologous stem cells with therapeutic medical device, we developed a bi-compartmented implant that could promote both articular cartilage and subchondral bone regeneration. The first compartment based on therapeutic collagen associated with bone morphogenetic protein 2, provides structural support and promotes subchondral bone regeneration. The second compartment contains bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell spheroids to support the regeneration of the articular cartilage. Six-month post-implantation, the regenerated articular cartilage surface was 3 times larger than that of untreated animals, and the regeneration of the osteochondral tissue occurred during the formation of hyaline-like cartilage. Our results demonstrate the positive impact of this combined advanced therapy medicinal product, meeting the needs of promising osteochondral regeneration in critical size articular defects in a large animal model combining not only therapeutic implant but also stem cells.
Keywords: Bi-compartmented nanoactive therapeutics; Cartilage repair; Mesenchymal stem cells; Osteochondral regeneration; Sheep.
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