A great many patients who had partial resection of the meniscus suffer from early degenerative changes in the knee. The EU project MEFISTO is taking on the challenge of developing innovative ways using bioactive functionalised materials to prevent the onset of osteoarthritis following meniscus loss.
We will develop two novel solutions to treat meniscus loss as a strategy for preventing the onset of an epidemic of post-meniscectomy knee osteoarthritis (OA) in Europe. We will profile and identify the population of patients who, after meniscal resection, are at higher risk of early compartment degeneration and will provide evidence in vitro and in animal models towards a personalized approach for the patient in the future.
The impact is expected to be significant as so many patients have undergone or will undergo meniscectomy (
have a look at our video presentation!). The interventions developed in MEFISTO will prevent these patients from receiving joint-sacrificing procedures such as metal prosthesis whilst reducing the social burden, associated costs and high levels of morbidity resulting from OA.
The MEFISTO project is a joint effort of 13 partners from academia, hospitals and industry from eight different European countries. MEFISTO receives funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. The project started on 1 April 2019 and will run until 30 November 2023.