Driving meniscus health forward

Our mission

For most of the 20th century, the preferred approach to meniscus treatment was the removal of the damaged tissue (meniscectomy). This practice expanded with the advent of arthroscopy. In recent decades, the understanding of meniscal function, and consequently the management of meniscal injuries, has evolved and gained increasing commitment among physicians towards the preservation of the meniscus whenever possible.

However, based on the fact that meniscal resection is still widely performed, a huge rate of post-meniscectomy osteoarthritis can be expected in the European population in the coming years. In particular, the treatment of osteoarthritis in younger patients is challenging, often involving early replacement of the patients’ knee joints, which later represents a social and economic burden for national health systems.
Stacks Image 38
We will identify those patients after meniscal resection who are at higher risk of early compartment degeneration and will provide evidence from pre-clinical tests towards a personalized approach for the patient. Younger patients with early osteoarthritic changes will be treated with a controlled vascularized bioactive biodegradable meniscal scaffold, designed to regenerate the native meniscus.

Patients with advanced osteoarthritis will be treated with a bioactive non-biodegradable meniscal prosthesis, which acts as a mechanical unloading device and a drug delivery system, with the capacity to modulate the inflammatory environment.

A socio-economic analysis of the cost-effectiveness of existing meniscal substitutes and an evaluation of the impact of adopting MEFISTO into healthcare systems complete the project.

MEFISTO is a patient centred solution for the personalised regeneration of osteoarticular tissues. The introduction of such innovative products fit perfectly with a real “personalized healthcare” concept, providing guidelines for clinicians for patient profiling with the final aim of making the healthcare system more sustainable and ensuring a cost reduction for National Health Systems.

This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 814444 (MEFISTO).