Replacement Knee Cartilage (IMAGE) Rice University Caption A breakthrough self-assembly technique for growing replacement cartilage offers hope of replacing the entire articular surface of knees damaged by arthritis. The technique, developed by Rice University bioengineer Kyriacos Athanasiou and postdoctoral researcher Jerry Hu involves a self-assembly method of growing replacement tissue. Using cells, Hu and Athanasiou have refined the technique to grow the entire articular surface of the lower femur. Each of these samples shown here were tailored three-dimensionally to fit a specific rabbit femur. Credit Jerry Hu/Rice University Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.