Nature Nanotechnol. doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.410 (2009)

Osteoarthritis is difficult to detect in its earliest stages because the joint cartilage shows no obvious signs of degeneration. Martin Stolz at Biozentrum, University of Basel, Switzerland, and his colleagues have now successfully applied atomic force microscopy to the problem, first prodding and then imaging cartilage from mouse and human joints.

This technique allowed them to pick up thickening and reductions in the elasticity of cartilage fibres long before any outward signs of osteoarthritis appeared. The team hopes that their research will lead to devices that detect the disease early and in a minimally invasive manner.