In Vitro Differentiation of Cells With Chondrogenic Potential

Near the end of the last century, my laboratory developed the first method for the in vitro differentiation of cells with chondrogenic potential—it was literally a way of making cartilage in a tube. Nearly 30 years later, we have learned much about the chondrogenic process, while not effecting any treatment for the pathologies we were targeting—cartilage degeneration and osteoarthritis. This talk will discuss what we have learnt, where we have failed, and the newer ideas that have replaced our original thinking about articular cartilage biology, pathology and regeneration.