Internal Support of Tissue-Engineered Cartilage

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Abstract
TISSUE ENGINEERING already provides tissue supply for specific clinical applications, such as burned skin,1 ureterovesicular reflux,2 and cellular cartilage repair for the knee.3 However, a main objective of this science is to generate an autologous tissue structure of predetermined shape.4 Previous laboratory generation of cartilage in predetermined shapes, such as the ear on the back of the mouse,5 the trachea,6 and the nasal septum,7 was accomplished using polyglycolic acid/polylactic acid (PGA/PLA) copolymer as the scaffold material; PGA/PLA is nonreactive in immunotolerant nude mice. Autologous experiments8,9 in immunocompetent animal models have shown that PGA/PLA generates an inflammatory reaction that interferes with the viability and shape of the tissue constructs.