THE footballers' curse - cartilage injuries - may one day be cured by tissue grown in a laboratory.

That is the hope of researchers in York, who have just received a share in a £12m award made by Science Minister Lord Sainsbury.

Cartilage problems have plagued top soccer players such as former Newcastle and Middlesbrough star Paul Gascoigne, and medical experts have sometimes struggled to repair knee injuries.

Now, with the help of a £400,000 Government grant, a team at the Smith and Nephew Group Research Centre, in York, hope to grow new cartilage tissue which can be implanted into damaged joints.

The long-established company is one of the leading players in the competitive international field of tissue culturing.

Substitute human skin is already cultured in Smith and Nephew labs, and supplied to surgeons all over the world.

Now the team are concentrating on a much tougher challenge - developing a source of human cartilage tissue.

"We are trying to extend what we are already doing, but culturing cartilage tissue is going to be much more difficult," said Gareth Lloyd-Jones, managing director of Smith and Nephew.

"It is a solvable problem. I believe there will be engineering cartilage tissue available off the shelf in about five to eight years," he said.

The company faces a fierce challenge from other research teams, particularly in the US.

"Quite a few people are working on this. Everybody recognises the same problems and we are all looking for a solution," said Mr Lloyd-Jones.

Cartilage plays a vital role in joints as a shock-absorber and as a lubricant.

When cartilage tissue does become available, it is likely to be in demand from younger people who have suffered sports injuries and older people who are suffering from degenerative diseases which in the past have led to artificial joint implants.