Tissues Engineering and Regenerative Therapies Centre

Developing keyhole surgery that repairs and regenerates joints

The Arthritis UK Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Therapies Centre brings together clinicians and scientists from the fields of engineering, biology and material science across Cambridge, Aberdeen, York, Keele and Oswestry.

Current treatments for early osteoarthritis are usually limited to non-surgical options such as pain killers and physiotherapy. Patients undergo joint replacement operations once the disease has progressed to joint failure, which involves major surgery and has associated risks.

Research at this centre aims to regenerate bone and cartilage by using the patients’ own stem cells to repair joint damage caused by osteoarthritis.

This centre first opened in 2011 and was renewed for a second term in 2016. It is in its ‘Impact’ phase until 2028.

Biomechanics and Bioengineering Research Centre

Arthritis UK Biomechanics and Bioengineering Research Centre Impact Report

For many years, we’ve known that mechanical loading and inflammation contribute to osteoarthritis but the biological processes that link these factors were unknown. The impact of joint injury and joint surgery on our biomechanics and biology, and subtleties in gait or alignment that could contribute to long-term disease, was also unclear. Until now.

Read the report