SCIENTISTS have created artificial replacements for arms, legs, joints and other body parts. But developing an artificial meniscus — the shock-absorbing cartilage pad in the knee that millions of people damage every year — has eluded modern medicine.Researchers are now tantalisingly close to achieving that goal, a step that could help stave off more serious problems, including arthritis and knee-replacement surgery, in later years.Drake Ross, a 54-year-old bank examiner in Columbus, Ohio, this year became the first American to have a synthetic meniscus, called NUsurface, implanted in his knee as part of a clinical trial.And scientists from New York’s Cornell and Columbia universities have successfully tested in sheep a method of growing a new meniscus inside the knee joint using a 3D printer and the body’s own stem cells. They hope to begin testing the technique in people soon.Either method would be a "game changer — no question," says Nicholas DiNubile, a knee specialist in Haverto...
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