Approximately 350 million people worldwide have arthritis, with nearly 40 million of them living in the United States. In fact, it is the number one cause for disability in this country. There are over a hundred different forms of the disorder, but all involve inflammation of one or more joints – and a lot of pain. Now there is new hope for arthritis sufferers in the form of a cartilage-repairing gel.

The gel is “biomimetic,” a classification of synthetic substances which can mimic natural biochemical processes in the body. Scientists are now hopeful that a new biomimetic gel may be able to repair damage caused by arthritis. The gel mechanically reinforces cartilage that has been worn out due to injury, arthritis, or repeated wear and tear.

The research, conducted by scientists out of Boston, and published in Angewandte Chemie, showed that adding a new polymer network can help re-establish and increase cartilage cushion in affected patients. The study explained that the synthetic polymer network of the gel manipulates the natural biopolymer network in cartilage. That process allows the gel to hydrate tissues and to help repair and add stability to the biophysics of the cartilage. It may also aid in halting or stabilizing the depletion of negatively charged polysaccharides called glycosaminoglycans.

The study revealed that, “compression tests with enzymatically degraded bovine cartilage showed that the gel can restore the original mechanical stability of the cartilage. The gel preferentially aggregates in areas that are particularly affected. A simulation of accelerated wear showed that healthy cartilage can also be effectively protected against degeneration by using this method. This new process thus seems to be highly promising for the treatment of osteoarthritis in its early stages.”

The new gel has not yet been FDA approved.