Treatment most often involves reconstructing the ACL using grafts from the patellar tendon, which connects the patella (aka the kneecap) to the tibia – although this can present problems of its own. Now, scientists at Northwestern University in Illinois are creating a man-made replacement ACL, which could make treatment much more effective.
According to professor of biomedical engineering Guillermo Ameer, who is leading the project, the use of patellar tendon grafts often results in knee discomfort that never goes away. This isn’t surprising, as the procedure involves removing part of the existing patellar tendon to take the place of the ACL – in fact, what’s left of the patellar tendon can subsequently end up rupturing, too.
That’s where his team’s engineered ACL comes in. Its main body is made from braided polyester fibers, with a tensile strength similar to that of the natural ligament. At either end of it, however, those fibers are blended into a mixture of a porous antioxidant biomaterial developed previously in his lab, and hydroxyapatite (a form of calcium) nanocrystals – these occur naturally in bones and teeth.
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Man-made ligament could replace ruptured ACLs
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