Regenerate or support repair
NanoACi vs PRP: Regenerate Cartilage or Support Repair
PRP concentrates your blood’s growth factors to support natural repair. NanoACi regenerates cartilage using your own cells, a scaffold and PRP. Here is how to choose.
Reviewed byProfessor Paul Lee MBBch, FRCS (Tr & Orth), PhDCartilage and joint preservation expertiseQuick answer
PRP (platelet-rich plasma) concentrates the growth factors already in your blood and injects them back to support the body’s own repair. It is milder, cheaper (about £1,200) and suits mild or early joint problems, often as a course. NanoACi is a fuller regenerative protocol: your own cartilage cells, a ChondroFiller scaffold and PRP, delivered in one session, £6,000. Worth knowing: PRP is actually a component within NanoACi, so at the deepest level this is not strictly either/or.
Both are offered at London Cartilage Clinic. PRP is a sensible first step for mild or early wear and soft-tissue problems; NanoACi is for when the goal is to regenerate cartilage rather than only support repair.
PRP vs NanoACi at a glance
| What to compare | PRP injection | NanoACi |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Concentrates the growth factors in your own blood and injects them to support the body’s natural repair | Delivers your own cartilage cells, a ChondroFiller scaffold and PRP to regenerate cartilage |
| What is in the injection | Your own platelets and their growth factors | Your own cells, a collagen scaffold and PRP, all from your own body |
| The goal | Supports natural repair and calms symptoms | Aims to regenerate worn cartilage |
| Best suited to | Mild or early joint problems, and soft-tissue injury | Cartilage wear you want to regenerate, judged on imaging rather than symptoms |
| Sessions | Often a course of injections | One session |
| Cost | From about £1,200 | £6,000; MRI and consultation charged separately |
| How they relate | PRP alone is one component within NanoACi | Includes a PRP step; what is added is the cartilage micrografts and the ChondroFiller scaffold |
Both are offered at London Cartilage Clinic; this is a genuine choice, not a takedown of PRP.
When PRP may be the better choice
- Your joint problem is mild or early, and supporting natural repair is a reasonable first step.
- The issue is soft-tissue rather than cartilage loss, where PRP is often used.
- Budget matters and you want a lower-cost option to try first, from about £1,200.
- You want PRP as an adjunct alongside another treatment, rather than a standalone regenerative protocol.
When NanoACi is the better choice
- You want to regenerate cartilage, not only support the body’s repair.
- The cartilage wear is more than mild, or PRP alone has not settled it.
- You would rather have one session than a course of injections.
- You want the fuller protocol: your own cells and a scaffold together with the growth signals, in a single visit.
PRP is a genuine, useful treatment and a real option here. For mild or early problems, concentrating your own growth factors can calm symptoms at a modest cost. Its limit is that it supports repair rather than rebuilding cartilage, which is where NanoACi goes further, adding your own cells and a scaffold to the same growth-signal idea. Because PRP sits inside NanoACi, the honest framing is less either/or and more how much you want to do in one session. Professor Lee will set out which fits your joint after reviewing your imaging.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between NanoACi and PRP?
PRP (platelet-rich plasma) concentrates the growth factors already in your blood and injects them back into the joint to support your body’s natural repair. NanoACi goes further: in a single session Professor Lee delivers your own cartilage cells (prepared with the Mytocel MSK technique), a ChondroFiller scaffold and PRP, so the aim is to regenerate cartilage rather than only support repair. PRP is milder and cheaper; NanoACi is the fuller regenerative protocol.
Is PRP or NanoACi the right choice for me?
It depends on what you are treating and what you want to achieve. For mild or early joint problems, or a soft-tissue injury, PRP is a sensible, lower-cost first step. When the goal is to regenerate worn cartilage, NanoACi does more by adding your own cells and a scaffold. Both are offered at London Cartilage Clinic, and Professor Lee advises which fits your joint after reviewing your imaging, not from symptoms alone.
Is PRP part of NanoACi?
In a sense, yes. NanoACi includes a PRP step, prepared from your own blood on the day. What differs from PRP alone is not the platelet product but what is delivered with it: your own cartilage micrografts and a ChondroFiller scaffold. So at the deepest level this is not strictly an either/or choice.
How much do PRP and NanoACi cost?
PRP is the lower-cost option, from about £1,200, and is often given as a course. NanoACi is £6,000 for the single session. MRI and consultation are charged separately. See the NanoACi cost page.
Can I start with PRP and move to NanoACi later?
Yes. PRP is a reasonable first step for mild or early problems, and it does not close the door on NanoACi afterwards. Because NanoACi already includes a PRP step, the two are complementary rather than mutually exclusive. Professor Lee can help you decide whether to begin with PRP or go straight to the fuller protocol, based on your imaging. See Am I a candidate for NanoACi?
Still have more specific concerns?
Free Discovery CallOptions that our doctors may discuss include NanoACi, ChondroFiller, Mytocel MSK, joint replacement, established conservative care or surgery, depending on examination and imaging.
PRP or NanoACi: let us look at your scan.
Because both are offered here, the fairest next step is a review of your imaging. Start with a free discovery call, or book an MRI and consultation with Professor Lee.