Engineering custom-designed osteochondral tissue grafts

Warren L. Grayson, Pen Hsiu Grace Chao, Darja Marolt, David L. Kaplan, Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

106 Scopus citations

Abstract

Tissue engineering is expected to help us outlive the failure of our organs by enabling the creation of tissue substitutes capable of fully restoring the original tissue function. Degenerative joint disease, which affects one-fifth of the US population and is the country's leading cause of disability, drives current research of actively growing, functional tissue grafts for joint repair. Toward this goal, living cells are used in conjunction with biomaterial scaffolds (serving as instructive templates for tissue development) and bioreactors (providing environmental control and molecular and physical regulatory signals). In this review, we discuss the requirements for engineering customized, anatomically-shaped, stratified grafts for joint repair and the challenges of designing these grafts to provide immediate functionality (load bearing, structural support) and long-term regeneration (maturation, integration, remodeling).

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)181-189
Number of pages9
JournalTrends in Biotechnology
Volume26
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2008
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Bioengineering

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