Stanford scientists found a way to regrow cartilage and stop arthritis
sciencedaily.com54 points by kelnos 20 hours ago
54 points by kelnos 20 hours ago
I think Science Direct just recirculates the news, perhaps to keep interest in topic but for folks who are looking for a solution like this, its just clickbait disappointment.
For interested folks, this is the Stanford publication from last year: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2025/11/joint-cartila...
And, https://epirium.com/ is the company with which one of the researchers (Helen Blau) is associated.
Science Direct is worse than that, they don't keep tabs on studies, they just regurgitate university press releases that exaggerate the magnitude of the findings to make grant proposals seem better than they are. Makes for an exciting frontpage with all the breakthroughs solving the mysteries of the universe while also building popular misconceptions about how scientific inquiry really works and eventually fatigue and apathy with people dismissing all studies as p-hacked or flip-floppy
Mandatory reminder SENS foundation as well as LEVF (and its ongoing RMR2) exist.
...in mice.
Fucking headlines.
Better than not knowing how to do this anywhere at all!
Science doesn't simply solve the problem you have. It has to walk the path to get there.
At this point, simply flag this type of submission. It will always be “in mice”. It’ll take years before these headlines apply to humans, whatever the topic, 100 percent, always!
IDK about you but I did _not_ see the Moderna melanoma vaccine coming. It is not always _in mice_.
Cool news does happen. Headlines like these are a disservice.
When did people get so tldr-brained that they get angry that the headline doesn't convey they entirety of the story? Publishers are trusting the audience not to take away conclusions from only a headline and the audience is failing badly.
From the article:
"Human cartilage also responded
The researchers then examined cartilage taken from people with osteoarthritis who were undergoing total knee replacement surgery.
After one week of treatment with the 15-PGDH inhibitor, the human tissue contained fewer chondrocytes expressing 15-PGDH. Activity in genes associated with cartilage degradation and fibrocartilage also declined compared with untreated tissue."
[...]
"The findings do not yet establish that the treatment can regrow cartilage or prevent osteoarthritis in people. The mouse results and experiments on human tissue represent important early evidence, but clinical trials specifically testing cartilage regeneration will be needed to determine whether the approach is safe and effective for patients.
An oral 15-PGDH inhibitor has already reached clinical testing for a different age related problem: muscle weakness."
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