The recognised starting point
ACi and MACi
The established search terms for cell-based cartilage regeneration. Professor Lee uses them as the familiar reference point when explaining the newer non-surgical and surgical pathways.
International patients · UAE
Advanced cartilage treatment in London for patients from the UAE
Patients from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and across the United Arab Emirates travel to London Cartilage Clinic for NanoACi, the wider Nano family, STACi, ChondroFiller, Mytocel MSK and expert ACi or MACi assessment with Professor Paul Lee.
Read the International Patient Guide
Reviewed byProfessor Paul Lee MBBch, FRCS (Tr & Orth), PhDCartilage and joint preservation expertiseWhy London Cartilage Clinic
Why patients from Dubai and Abu Dhabi choose London Cartilage Clinic
London is an established destination for private patients from the United Arab Emirates, with direct premium air links from both Dubai and Abu Dhabi. At London Cartilage Clinic the reason to travel is access to a concentrated set of advanced joint-preserving options, delivered by Professor Paul Lee rather than passed between different teams.
Many patients begin by searching for ACi or MACi. Those established treatments remain an important reference point. The assessment also explains where non-arthroscopic NanoACi, the tissue-specific Nano family, the Structure-led surgical STACi pathway, ChondroFiller or standalone Mytocel MSK may fit the actual damage more precisely.
Searching for “علاج الغضروف في لندن”?That is us, cartilage treatment in London.
Why patients travel for treatment
Start with ACi or MACi. Then see what is now possible.
Patients from the United Arab Emirates often arrive searching for ACi or MACi because those are the best-known cartilage cell treatments. They remain important. The assessment also shows where NanoACi, the wider Nano family, the Structure-led STACi pathway, ChondroFiller or Mytocel MSK may fit more precisely.
Non-surgical RegenRepair™
The Nano family
NanoACi for cartilage, NanoAMi for meniscus, NanoATi for tendon and NanoALi for ligament adapt Seed, Soil and Signal to the tissue being treated.
Surgical RegenRepair™
STACi adds Structure
When alignment, stability or the damage pattern needs surgery, STACi addresses Structure before adding the Seed, Soil and Signal cartilage-regeneration biology.
Standalone or within a pathway
Mytocel MSK and ChondroFiller
Mytocel MSK provides living autologous micrografts; ChondroFiller provides a collagen scaffold. Each has a standalone role and both sit within Professor Lee’s wider regenerative toolkit.
Been told replacement is your only option?
Looking for an alternative to knee replacement from the UAE?
Some patients contact London Cartilage Clinic after being offered replacement or being told that cartilage regeneration is no longer an option. A joint-preserving route may still be worth assessing, but it depends on imaging, alignment, stability, the distribution of wear and the patient’s goals.
NanoACi is considered where a non-arthroscopic pathway is realistic. STACi is considered where the cartilage biology also needs surgical work to restore Structure. Where replacement is the correct treatment, Professor Lee will say so clearly.
Every alternative-to-replacement statement is a clinical judgement made only after a full assessment. Suitability depends on your individual case.
Most relevant treatments
Treatments most relevant to patients from the United Arab Emirates
ACi and MACi
The better-known cell-based cartilage regeneration procedures, kept as a clear starting point and assessed alongside NanoACi and the Structure-led STACi pathway.
Find out more
RegenRepair™ and the Nano family
Professor Lee’s Seed, Soil, Signal framework, adapted into NanoACi for cartilage, NanoAMi for meniscus, NanoATi for tendon and NanoALi for ligament.
Find out more
NanoACi
A non-arthroscopic cartilage-regeneration pathway combining autologous micrografts, a collagen scaffold and platelet-rich fibrin in one image-guided session.
Find out more
STACi
Professor Lee’s surgical RegenRepair™ pathway: Structure first, then Seed, Soil and Signal for cartilage damage that needs mechanical correction or stabilisation as well as regeneration.
Find out more
ChondroFiller
Collagen cartilage regeneration delivered by injection, made by Meidrix Biomedicals GmbH. The clinic was the first in the UK to offer it as an injection.
Find out more
Mytocel MSK
A single-session regenerative injection using living autologous micrografts prepared chair-side from a small sample of the patient’s own tissue.
Find out moreGetting here
Getting here from the United Arab Emirates
Dubai and Abu Dhabi both have frequent direct services to London. Imaging review and virtual consultation take place first so the clinical plan and length of stay are clear before travel.
Dubai or Abu Dhabi direct
Direct flights connect Dubai and Abu Dhabi with London in roughly seven to eight hours. A chauffeur transfer can be coordinated from the airport.
MRI reviewed before travel
Share recent imaging before a virtual consultation with Professor Lee so the trip is based on a defined clinical question.
VIP pathway in London
The Landmark London, chauffeur transfers, appointments and early recovery can be coordinated as one itinerary for the patient and accompanying family.
Return travel is planned around mobility, the procedure and individual blood-clot risk—not around a generic number of days.
Visiting us
How to find us
Consultations
66 Harley Street
London W1G 7HD
United Kingdom
Surgery
A partner hospital on Weymouth Street, a few minutes from Harley Street. Imaging is arranged for you as part of your pathway.
Getting here
Central London, a short walk from Regent’s Park, Oxford Circus and Bond Street underground stations.
Costs and insurance
Costs and insurance for patients from the United Arab Emirates
UAE dirhams (AED)direct pay, private insurance or pre-authorised sponsorship
Treatment is quoted and paid in pounds sterling, with the bank or card provider converting from UAE dirhams. A personalised written estimate follows clinical assessment.
Private insurance and government or employer sponsorship vary. London Cartilage Clinic does not assume approval: any guarantee of payment, pre-authorisation or reimbursement must be confirmed in writing before travel. Otherwise the pathway is direct pay, with an itemised invoice supplied for any later claim.
Authority
The surgeon you are choosing
International patients are usually choosing between a small number of world specialists, so the surgeon matters more than any single treatment. Your consultation, your treatment and your follow-up are all with Professor Paul Lee.
- Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon and medical engineer, PhD
- Internationally published in cartilage repair and joint preservation, cited over 1,000 times
- Lead of an ICRS teaching centre for cartilage regeneration
- Joint-replacement outcomes recorded in the National Joint Registry, within the expected range
- Member of the British Association for Surgery of the Knee (BASK)
International patients · United Arab Emirates
Frequently asked questions
Which advanced cartilage treatments do UAE patients travel to London for?
Patients commonly arrive asking about ACi or MACi. Professor Lee assesses those established options alongside NanoACi, the wider RegenRepair™ Nano family, the Structure-led STACi surgical pathway, ChondroFiller and Mytocel MSK. The recommendation follows the tissue and damage pattern, not the treatment name used in the initial search.
Can I start with a video consultation from Dubai or Abu Dhabi?
Yes. Recent scans and reports can be shared before a virtual consultation with Professor Lee. This helps determine whether travel for examination or treatment is worthwhile before flights and accommodation are booked.
Can my family stay with me in London?
Yes. The concierge can coordinate an appropriate hotel base, airport and clinic transfers and the treatment timetable around an accompanying family member. Exact arrangements are confirmed for the individual itinerary.
Will UAE insurance or sponsorship cover treatment?
Cover is not assumed. Private insurance, employer cover and government sponsorship all require their own approval. Obtain written pre-authorisation or a guarantee of payment before travel; otherwise treatment is direct pay and the clinic can provide an itemised invoice.
Start your journey from the United Arab Emirates
Wherever you are travelling from, the first step is the same. Talk it through on a discovery call, or have a virtual consultation with Professor Lee before you plan any travel.