Researchers regrow cartilage in mice with arthritis

Karl Hille, Baltimore Sun on Jan 5, 2026

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Blocking a protein linked to aging helped older mice regrow knee cartilage without using stem cells, research from Stanford University in California shows.

Blocking the protein 15-PGDH also increased older animals’ muscle mass and endurance, they reported.

“This is a new way of regenerating adult tissue, and it has significant clinical promise for treating arthritis due to aging or injury,” Helen Blau, Stanford professor of microbiology and immunology, said in an article on the Stanford Reports website. “We were looking for stem cells, but they are clearly not involved. It’s very exciting.”

The treatment also helped prevent arthritis from developing after knee injuries often experienced by athletes and recreational exercisers, they found. Samples of human tissues from knee replacement surgeries also responded to the treatment by making new cartilage in lab tests.

They published their work, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, in the journal Science in late November.

Arthritis is a common category of diseases that cause joint cartilage to deteriorate, leading to pain, swelling and limited movement in millions of Americans, according to the Johns Hopkins Medicine website. Osteoarthritis, the type studied in the new research, results from wear and tear of joint cartilage over time.

An oral version of the Stanford anti-aging treatment is currently undergoing clinical trials seeking a treatment for age-related joint weakness.

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