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Thu 04 Apr 2007Cultivated cartilage could help arthritic kneesA UCD researcher is studying the possibility of growing knee cartilage cells in the lab to replace those lost to arthritis, writes Claire O'ConnellGrowing older can take the spring out of your step as knee joints succumb to decades of wear and tear. But a researcher at University College Dublin (UCD) is figuring out how best to grow cartilage-making cells in the lab, with a view to giving people with painful joint conditions a leg up on healing.