3D printed constructs for Cartilage and Bone Tissue Engineering Applications

Cartilage and bone are specialized connective tissues that primarily function as support structures for other adjacent tissues and organs. Both tissues can be characterized by the presence of an abundant extracellular matrix mainly dominated by collagen.

Cartilage tissue is found throughout the human body in various types. Three main types of cartilage are elastic cartilage, hyaline cartilage and fibrous cartilage. This study focuses on load-bearing meniscus tissue, a type of fibrous cartilage found in human knee, . It consists of two components, the medial and the lateral meniscus.The current medical scenario necessitates the development of treatment alternatives for meniscus and bone injuries. As we observe that these defects vary in dimension from patient to patient, a customized treatment is ideal for better tissue repair. Tissue engineering alternatives are being extensively explored for the purpose of tissue and organ reconstruction as these overcome the limitations of autologous implants and possess the potential for enhancement of tissue regeneration and repair.