Cartilage tissue engineering

Articular cartilage injuries are a clinically relevant problem without a clinically acceptable solution. Cartilage has a limited self-repair capacity, with damaged tissue usually replaced by fibrocartilage. Tissue engineering of cartilage is a major area of research and development, with the purpose of supporting the formation of repair tissue that closely mimics native tissue. This is a significant challenge, given the complex arrangement of collagen fibers and distribution of glycosaminoglycans in articular cartilage, characteristics that are critical for its biomechanical function. Current major hurdles include finding suitable cell sources and understanding the determinants of progenitor cell fate in graft transplantation. Furthermore, there is an interplay between cells, their tissue microenvironment, and a surrounding biomaterial. Thus, researchers are learning to optimally design scaffolds to serve as effective templates for functional tissue formation.