---
title: "New “Injectable Cartilage” Could Revolutionize Plastic Surgery"
description: "According to Chinese state-owned news media, a team of Chinese scientists developed \"injectable cartilage\" that can be used to  repair human tissue."
date: "2019-06-04"
modified: "2019-06-04"
authors:
  - name: "Victor Tangermann"
    job_title: "Senior Editor"
    link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor"
url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/injectable-cartilage-plastic-surgery"
categories:
  - "Health & Medicine"
tags:
  - "artificial tissue"
  - "china"
  - "developmental disorder"
  - "the digest"
---

# New “Injectable Cartilage” Could Revolutionize Plastic Surgery

![According to Chinese state-owned news media, a team of Chinese scientists developed "injectable cartilage" that can be used to  repair human tissue.](<https://futurism.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/injectable-cartilage-plastic-surgery.png>)
*\<em\>Image: Victor Tangermann\</em\>*

## Injectable Cartilage

According to [Chinese state-owned news site *Ecns*](<http://www.ecns.cn/cns-wire/2019-06-04/detail-ifziupva1116530.shtml>), a team of Chinese scientists has developed "injectable cartilage" that can be used to repair human tissue.

The new technique could revolutionize plastic surgery by "growing" cartilage from a patient's own cells — and using it to radically tinker with their appearance.

## Growing Ears and Chins

By removing a small portion of cartilage tissue from behind the ear, the team was able to grow seed cells in a lab. By cultivating enough cells, the scientists could fill biodegradable 3D printed molds and inject the resulting cartilage straight into the human body.

The team has credibility in the space. Last year, the same research group [grew a human ear](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/new-ears-grown-patient-cells>) in a lab and grafted it onto a human patient.

## Imitating Natural Growth

According to Cao Yilin, director of National Tissue Engineering Research Center, the new injection method could also enable patients to grow cartilage parts of the nose and chin and develop into fully functional tissue over time.

The technique could also help in the process of organ reconstruction, according to *Ecns*.

**READ MORE:** [Chinese scientists make breakthrough in injectable cartilage](<http://www.ecns.cn/cns-wire/2019-06-04/detail-ifziupva1116530.shtml>) \[*Ecns*\]

**More on growing human cells:** *[In a World First, Children Get New Ears Grown From Their Own Cells](<https://futurism.com/neoscope/new-ears-grown-patient-cells>)*

## Author
I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/vtanger.bsky.social>)