You are spot on. The techniques are improving. The Denovo NT is comparable to Autologous Chondrocite Implantation (ACI). Unfortunately, my health benefits don't cover either. The cheaper, and almost as good a track record is Denovo NT ($8,500 vs $60,000)
Denovo NT, they take cartilage from a young cadaver (cells are still reproducing rapidly in young person) and implant into damaged cartilage situs (some restrictions apply). An adhesive is applied to prevent implant from moving from situs area. The implanted cartilage begins to regenerate new cartilage and blend with surrounding area. In approx 10 months, patient should see significant reduction in bone on bone pain, swelling, and improved qol. After 2 yrs, patient will be at max benefit point (no more improvement) and should not see any degradation of qol in previous lesion area.