Patent ID: 7892799

Claim:
A method of treating adult human osteoarthritic chondrocytes to restore physiological levels of protein expression, said method comprising subjecting adult human osteoarthritic chondrocytes isolated from diseased articular cartilage to a treatment comprising steps: a) applying hydrostatic pressure of between about 0.5 and about 30 MPa at frequency of about 0.1 to about 10 Hz to said osteoarthritic chondrocytes, for a period of about 1 to about 8 hours; and b) subsequently subjecting said chondrocytes to a recovery period at a constant atmospheric pressure, for a period of about 16 to 23 hours, wherein the steps a) and b) are repeated for about 4 to about 100 days, and wherein, following said treatment, the levels of protein expression in osteoarthritic chondrocytes are restored to physiological levels of healthy adult chondrocytes.