Australian Docs Design Cell-Based Ligament Implant

One of the most common types of wrist ligament injury is one that damages the scapholunate interosseous ligament (SLIL).

According to surgeons, injuries to this ligament can lead to the dislocation of the lunate and scaphoid carpal bones in the hand and wrist. This sort of damage often results in long term disability. For athletes, it can mean the end of a career.

While the injuries can be treated surgically, the post-op prognosis has not been great.

Patients often end up developing osteoarthritis of the hand and wrist, along with functional limitations. Responding to the need, researchers at Griffith University in South East Queensland are using bioengineering and 3D printing to come up with a better treatment plan for this common wrist injury.

Researchers at Griffith University, who are experienced in bioengineering and 3D printing, have teamed up with staff from Gold Coast Health, a regenerative medicine company, and with the faculties from the University of Queensland and the University of Western Australia to develop a new 3D bioprinting technique for designing patient-specific replacement bone/ligament constructs.

“The ligament portion of the scaffold will be seeded with tendon cells from Orthocell, an Australian regenerative medicine company, and then the bone-ligament-bone construct will be matured in a bioreactor, where the cells will lay tendon along the scaffold,” explained Professor Randy Bindra, who has a conjoint appointment with Gold Coast Health.

“Developing an ‘off-the-shelf’ ligament replacement with a scaffold that replicates bone and ligament will be a game-changer in sports medicine and will provide a novel alternative not only for the treatment of SLIL wrist injuries, but also other joints, while reducing the current side effects experienced by patients undergoing reconstructive surgery,” he said.