New Concept to Restore Normal Cell Responses in Osteoarthritic Knee Joint Cartilage.

Prediction of osteoarthritis progression does not exist. Cartilage "health" and degeneration during osteoarthritis depend on the signals perceived by chondrocytes. We hypothesize that biomechanical responses of chondrocytes in osteoarthritic cartilage can be restored close to their normal state. We propose an approach to evaluate quantitatively these responses in human joints and demonstrate how they can return close to normal levels.