I often hear people lamenting that they have "bone on bone" contact in their joints. And many end up with joint replacement surgery to solve the issue. Thanks to how our bodies grow and develop, by adulthood, our body is done creating most of our cartilage that is in between our joints. It's a one-time process, with very little healing to be had in later years of our life.

Dr. Samuel Stupp in Chicago at Northwestern University's materials research branch has been working with students to find ways to help! They have come up with a particular gel that is showing that it can help regenerate or repair the damage done to the cartilage in our joints. The material doesn't just fill the gap, but it actually has markers in it to cue the body to rebuild the cartilage. They were testing it in sheep, and they were able to re-grow the cartilage for over six months! And not just regenerated but regrown in such a way as to be viable!

The next step is more testing, especially with testing in sports injury or trauma. The end goal is to help patients avoid the invasive option of having to fully replace the joint. This should speed recovery times and lower the amount of pain and discomfort felt while dealing with the damaged tissue, too. A lot of times we hear about medical breakthroughs from all over the world. Well, here it is, a breakthrough from right here, nearby, in Chicago! I'm excited to hear what other medical breakthroughs will come to pass in the coming years! And I'm excited to see how many more will come right out of the USA, too!