Innovative Technologies for Articular Cartilage Repair: Research, Development, and Clinical Translation—A Narrative Review

TL;DR

This review explores new technologies and strategies for repairing articular cartilage, aiming to improve joint function and prevent long-term damage.

Contribution

The paper highlights a shift toward regenerative strategies combining cells, signals, and biomimetic scaffolds for cartilage repair.

Findings

Conventional surgical methods are being replaced by regenerative approaches that mimic natural cartilage structure.

Research trends show increased focus on cell-based therapies and biomaterials for cartilage regeneration.

Bibliometric analysis reveals growing clinical translation and intellectual property activity in the field.

Abstract

Articular cartilage is a highly specialized connective tissue essential for joint function, providing load-bearing capacity, shock absorption, and near-frictionless motion. Due to its avascular nature, articular cartilage has a limited intrinsic healing capacity, and focal injuries often progress to degenerative joint diseases such as osteoarthritis, leading to chronic pain and functional impairment. This review examines current and emerging scientific, clinical, and technological strategies for articular cartilage repair and regeneration, with particular emphasis on their translational relevance. This narrative review integrates data from peer-reviewed literature, clinical trial registries, and patent databases. Preclinical and clinical approaches are discussed, including orthobiologics, cell-based therapies, advanced biomaterials, and three-dimensional tissue-engineered scaffolds. Bibliometric and keyword network analyses are used to identify dominant research themes, technological trends, and emerging innovations. The findings reveal a clear paradigm shift from conventional surgical interventions, often associated with fibrocartilage formation and suboptimal biomechanical performance, to multifactorial regenerative strategies combining cells, bioactive signals, and biomimetic scaffolds designed to recapitulate the native extracellular matrix. This convergence of regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, and biomaterials science is reflected in growing clinical translation efforts and intellectual property activity. Overall, although articular cartilage repair remains a significant clinical challenge, integrated regenerative approaches show great potential for achieving durable and functional cartilage regeneration.

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