Professor Joo Ji-hyun of the Catholic Central Medical Center’s Advanced Cell Therapy Project is administering a 3D cartilage cell injection using stem cells to a patient at Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital. (Image courtesy of the Catholic Central Medical Center.)
SEOUL, May 13 (Korea Bizwire) — In a groundbreaking development for regenerative medicine, South Korean researchers have safely administered the country’s first 3D cartilage cell therapy derived from stem cells to osteoarthritis patients, signaling a potential shift in how the degenerative joint disease may be treated in the future.
The Catholic University of Korea’s Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital announced Monday that its research team, led by Professor Joo Ji-hyun of the Advanced Cell Therapy Division, successfully injected a stem cell-based 3D cartilage treatment into the knee joints of two osteoarthritis patients in April 2025. No adverse reactions, inflammation, or pain were observed following the procedures, which took place on April 17 and 30.
The therapy uses induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)—adult cells, such as those from skin or blood, that are reprogrammed into an embryonic-like state. The researchers cultivated these iPSCs into cartilage cells and engineered them into a three-dimensional injectable form.
The cells were then introduced into the joint cavity, a site naturally resistant to immune cell infiltration, increasing the likelihood of safe engraftment.
Osteoarthritis, a common age-related disease marked by cartilage degradation and joint pain, currently lacks treatments that can regenerate cartilage. Most available therapies focus solely on symptom relief.
“This is the first attempt of its kind in Korea and one of the rare few globally,” said the medical center in a statement. “What makes this significant is the transition from symptom management to actual tissue regeneration using stem cell-derived cartilage.”
Professor Joo noted that long-term follow-up is underway to verify both the therapeutic efficacy and safety. “The absence of immune rejection marks a critical milestone in advancing stem cell therapies toward real-world clinical use,” she said.
Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)
