British scientists have developed a new tissue engineering technology, which can replace knees and hips with lab-grown replacements.

Researchers found that cells can be combined with an oxygen-carrying protein to produce living tissue in the laboratory. They hope that this can then be implanted into patients to replace diseased parts of the body.

The research has shown that it is possible to combine cells with a special scaffold to produce living tissue in the laboratory. The researchers hope the new tissue can be implanted into patients to replace diseased parts of the body.

The problem with creating larger cartilage structures is supplying oxygen to the engineered cells. Although, bloodstream supplies oxygen in the body, the cells rely on getting oxygen in the lab from the solution they are being grown in.

When larger structures fail to get the oxygen they need the cartilage cells die off. A team of researchers, led by Dr Adam Perriman from the University of Bristol and Professor Anthony Hollander from the University of Liverpool used cartilage tissue engineering as a model system to overcome the oxygen limitation problem.

The researchers created stem cells with a built-in ‘oxygen reservoir’, a protein called myoglobin, which is turned into cartilage.

Dr. Adam Perriman, from Bristol’s School of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, said, “It’s like supplying each cell with its own scuba tank, which it can use to breathe from when there is not enough oxygen in the local environment”.

This new methodology is likely to pave the way for the development of a wide range of new biotechnologies. The research has been published is published in Nature Communications.