Functional tissue engineering - The role of biomechanics in articular cartilage repair

Articular cartilage shows little or no intrinsic capacity for repair in res ponse to injury or disease, and even minor lesions or injuries may lead to progressive damage and joint degeneration. Tissue engineering is a relative ly new but rapidly growing field that has sought to use combinations of imp lanted cells, biomaterials, and biologically active molecules to repair or regenerate injured or diseased tissues. Despite many advances, tissue engin eers have faced significant challenges in repairing or replacing tissues th at serve a predominantly biomechanical function, such as articular cartilag e. An evolving discipline termed functional tissue engineering seeks to add ress these challenges by emphasizing and evaluating the role of biomechanic al factors in the intrinsic and engineered repair of tissues and organs. In the current study, the authors describe some of the fundamental issues inv olving the interaction of biomechanical stresses in vivo and in vitro with native and repair articular cartilage and with other biomechanically functi onal tissues. A more thorough and formal investigation of these issues may provide a basis for developing rational design principles for tissue engine ered replacement or repair of load-bearing structures in the body.