Anti-Aging Drug Regrows Knee Cartilage in Major Breakthrough That Could End Knee Replacements

A Stanford Medicine-led study has found that an injection blocking the activity of a protein involved in aging reverses naturally occurring cartilage loss in knee joints of old mice. The treatment also prevented arthritis after knee injuries such as ACL tears.

The protein, 15-PGDH, is a master regulator of aging termed a 'gerozyme' due to its increase as the body ages. Blocking it with a small molecule results in increased muscle mass and endurance in older animals.

“The treatment also prevented arthritis after knee injuries such as ACL tears.”

Samples of human tissue from knee replacement surgeries also responded to the treatment by making new, functional cartilage. 'This is a new way of regenerating adult tissue, and it has significant clinical promise for treating arthritis due to aging or injury,' said Helen Blau, professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford.

An oral version of the treatment is already in clinical trials for age-related muscle weakness, offering hope that knee and hip replacements may one day become unnecessary.