According to a recent article (abstract) published in Nature Nanotechnology, illustrated and commented on MIT’s Technologyreview.com (article) :
”(…) indentation-type atomic force microscopy (…) can monitor early damage in the cartilage of osteoarthritic patients undergoing hip or knee replacements (…). Changes due to aging and osteoarthritis are clearly depicted at the nanometre scale well before morphological changes can be observed using current diagnostic methods. Indentation-type atomic force microscopy may potentially be developed into a minimally invasive arthroscopic tool to diagnose the early onset of osteoarthritis in situ.”
Such an “arthroscope” would also be useful for assessing the effectiveness of osteoarthritis therapies currently under development.
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | Health, News highlights, Publications, R&D, Tools
