Osteoarthritis is a painful, debilitating and fairly common condition that’s hard to slow or stop, so treatment options are mostly limited to reducing pain. But a new study in mice has now found that nanotherapeutic injections into the knee can slow cartilage degradation.

Cartilage plays a key role in our joints, especially our knees, where it cushions against the forces of a lifetime of walking and running. But because it doesn’t naturally repair itself, the tissue can degrade over time or due to injury, leading to the pain associated with osteoarthritis.