SGER: Biomechanical Regulation of Architecture of Engineered Cartilage

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9979255SahThere is a need to extend the scientific basis for tissue engineering of articular cartilage for use in the replacement of arthritic joints. Normally, articular cartilage forms under the influence of mechanical load. Currently, the in vitro synthesis of cartilaginous tissue constructs from isolated chondrocytes is done in the absence of load, requires prolonged culture (for many months), and does not achieve a tissue with the composition, structure, and function of normal articular cartilage. The immediate aims of this project are to establish the feasibility of applying dynamic loading during construct growth in order to modulate tissue formation and of developing an associated theoretical framework. The specific aims are:(1) To develop a method for synthesizing three-dimensional cartilaginous tissue constructs from isolated chondrocytes in a manner that allows application of compressive load at defined amplitude, frequency, and duration, and to use this method to evaluate construct formation with certain cell densities and loading conditions.(2) To develop a simple theoretical model that describes the time-course of evolution of tissue composition and cumulative release into the medium of tissue products based on parameters that can be measured in short-term experiments, and to determine the sensitivity of the model to these parameters and the variability in the measured values.The proposed work will emphasize quantitative aspects of tissue engineering. During the course of the study, human resources will be developed for tissue engineering through the training one post-doctoral fellow and one graduate student.