01
Collect auricular cartilage
Three tiny 2.5 mm punch samples are taken from the bowl of the ear under local anaesthetic.
Mytocel MSK · Standalone autologous micrograft treatment
Your own cartilage.Prepared and delivered in one session.
Mytocel MSK uses a few tiny samples of auricular cartilage from the patient’s ear. They are mechanically prepared at the point of care into an autologous micrograft suspension, then delivered to the affected joint as the treatment itself.
Auricular cartilageStandalone treatmentNo cell cultureSame-session injection
The standalone Mytocel MSK pathway
From ear cartilage to the affected joint
Mytocel MSK is a complete treatment route in its own right. Auricular cartilage is collected, mechanically prepared and returned to the clinically selected joint during one appointment, without laboratory culture.
02
Prepare mechanically
Cartilage and saline pass through a closed, single-use cartridge that creates microscopic autologous fragments.
03
Collect the suspension
Approximately 4 ml of freshly prepared suspension retains tissue-derived cells and elements of their native matrix.
04
Deliver to the joint
The freshly prepared micrograft suspension is injected into the affected joint in the same session.
What the technology changes
From auricular cartilage to an injectable micrograft treatment at the point of care
Autologous Micrografting Technology uses controlled mechanical disaggregation. A few tiny samples of auricular cartilage are divided into microscopic fragments while retaining cells and elements of their native extracellular matrix. The resulting AMT suspension is delivered directly to the affected joint in the same appointment.
The practical difference is time and handling. Traditional cell-implantation pathways can require a harvest operation, laboratory culture and a later procedure. Mytocel MSK is designed to prepare autologous biological material in minutes, beside the patient.
Mechanical point-of-care preparation
Microscopic tissue fragments and cells
Where it may be used
One auricular-cartilage source, selected clinical targets
The donor tissue in the standard Mytocel MSK route is auricular cartilage. What changes is the joint or soft-tissue problem being treated, based on examination, imaging and whether the mechanics still make biological treatment credible.
Earlier cartilage wear
Mild-to-moderate wear where the joint remains worth protecting and a regenerative injection is clinically appropriate.
Knee and other larger joints
The knee is a common target, with selected hip, shoulder or ankle problems considered on their individual anatomy and imaging.
Thumb base and smaller joints
Smaller joints may also be considered, including thumb-base osteoarthritis, where treatment can be delivered precisely.
Selected soft-tissue problems
Mytocel MSK may have a role beyond joint cartilage where the diagnosis, tissue quality and loading plan support its use.
What Mytocel MSK avoids
No laboratory cell expansion
The preparation does not rely on multi-week cell culture, enzymatic digestion or genetic manipulation. It remains the patient’s own tissue, mechanically prepared for same-session use.
What Mytocel MSK delivers
Micrografts with their native matrix
Mechanical preparation creates microscopic fragments that retain tissue-derived cells and elements of their surrounding extracellular matrix. The suspension is then delivered as Mytocel MSK itself, with recovery planned for the joint being treated.
Evidence
Assess the micrografting treatment on its own terms
Autologous Micrografting Technology has been studied in joint osteoarthritis and other musculoskeletal applications. That evidence belongs to the Mytocel MSK pathway and should be considered separately from evidence for NANO ACi or any other combined procedure. Suitability and likely benefit remain individual clinical questions.
FAQ
Questions about Mytocel MSK
The key points are the auricular-cartilage source, point-of-care preparation and delivery as a standalone same-session treatment.
Mytocel MSK is a standalone regenerative injection using the patient’s own auricular cartilage. A few tiny samples from the ear are mechanically prepared into an autologous micrograft suspension and delivered to the affected joint in the same appointment.
No. The tissue is not cultured or expanded over several weeks. It is mechanically processed in the clinic without enzymatic digestion or genetic manipulation and used in the same treatment pathway.
Professor Lee was the first clinician to introduce Mytocel MSK in the UK. He uses it as a standalone treatment for selected joint and soft-tissue problems, with suitability decided from examination and imaging.
No. Mytocel MSK is a complete standalone micrograft treatment. NANO ACi is a separate, fuller cartilage technique in which Mytocel-prepared micrografts can form one component alongside a collagen scaffold and platelet-rich fibrin.
It is most often considered for earlier cartilage wear, including selected knee and other joint problems. It may also have a role in selected soft-tissue conditions. The right use depends on the diagnosis, imaging and the mechanical state of the joint.
Continue Reading
Explore Mytocel MSK and its clinical context
Mytocel MSK clinical hub
Read the patient-facing treatment guide, suitability information and Mytocel MSK evidence at London Cartilage Clinic.
Read more
Cartilage repair and regeneration
See where standalone Mytocel MSK sits among the wider cartilage options.
Read more
How NANO ACi is different
NANO ACi is a separate cartilage technique that uses Mytocel-prepared micrografts as one component of a fuller protocol.
Read more
A standalone treatment using your own auricular cartilage
Prepared at the point of care and delivered in one session
auricular cartilagepoint of careautologous micrograftssame session
Professor Lee’s assessment determines whether Mytocel MSK is appropriate for the affected joint, based on diagnosis, imaging and the mechanical state of the tissues around it.