For interested folks, this is the Stanford publication from last year: https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2025/11/joint-cartila...
And, https://epirium.com/ is the company with which one of the researchers (Helen Blau) is associated.
Fucking headlines.
Science doesn't simply solve the problem you have. It has to walk the path to get there.
Cool news does happen. Headlines like these are a disservice.
"Human cartilage also responded
The researchers then examined cartilage taken from people with osteoarthritis who were undergoing total knee replacement surgery.
After one week of treatment with the 15-PGDH inhibitor, the human tissue contained fewer chondrocytes expressing 15-PGDH. Activity in genes associated with cartilage degradation and fibrocartilage also declined compared with untreated tissue."
[...]
"The findings do not yet establish that the treatment can regrow cartilage or prevent osteoarthritis in people. The mouse results and experiments on human tissue represent important early evidence, but clinical trials specifically testing cartilage regeneration will be needed to determine whether the approach is safe and effective for patients.
An oral 15-PGDH inhibitor has already reached clinical testing for a different age related problem: muscle weakness."