07-08-2006, 10:48 PM
Hello fellow biomaterial workers,
I am current carrying out some preliminary work on the development of <b>cartilage replacements</b>.
Many people will be aware that the cartilage tissues have very limited self-regeneration capacity.
Also, the scar tissue is usually formed of a fibrous material with poor mechanical properties.
For this reason, the main treatment at the moment is surgical prosthesis. However, that may well change if tissue engineering allows cartilage to repair itself.
Tissue engineering is one new and exciting approach to achieving cartilage regeneration.
The approach involves the use of biodegradable polymeric matrixes and isolated chondrocytes from tissue biopsies. Cells are seeded inside the biocompatible matrix and then they are implanted into the damaged joint. A large number of non-degradable and degradable polymer materials have been tested for this tissue engineering application.
There was a review paper done that might interest a few of you:
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE<!--quotec-->B.L. Seal, T.C. Otero, A. Panitch, <b>Polymeric biomaterials for tissue and
organ regeneration</b>, Materials Science Reports R34 (2001) 147â230.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Several studies have been done with synthetic degradable polymers, such as polyesters
(polylactic acid (PLA), polyglycolic acid (PGA), and their copolymers), polyethylene oxide or injectable polymers like poly(ethylene glycol). Natural polymers have also been used with some success to design tissue matrixes (e.g. collagen, fibrin, gelatine, hyaluronic acid, agarose, alginate, or chitosan).
Yours,
Dinesh
I am current carrying out some preliminary work on the development of <b>cartilage replacements</b>.
Many people will be aware that the cartilage tissues have very limited self-regeneration capacity.
Also, the scar tissue is usually formed of a fibrous material with poor mechanical properties.
For this reason, the main treatment at the moment is surgical prosthesis. However, that may well change if tissue engineering allows cartilage to repair itself.
Tissue engineering is one new and exciting approach to achieving cartilage regeneration.
The approach involves the use of biodegradable polymeric matrixes and isolated chondrocytes from tissue biopsies. Cells are seeded inside the biocompatible matrix and then they are implanted into the damaged joint. A large number of non-degradable and degradable polymer materials have been tested for this tissue engineering application.
There was a review paper done that might interest a few of you:
<!--quoteo-->QUOTE<!--quotec-->B.L. Seal, T.C. Otero, A. Panitch, <b>Polymeric biomaterials for tissue and
organ regeneration</b>, Materials Science Reports R34 (2001) 147â230.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Several studies have been done with synthetic degradable polymers, such as polyesters
(polylactic acid (PLA), polyglycolic acid (PGA), and their copolymers), polyethylene oxide or injectable polymers like poly(ethylene glycol). Natural polymers have also been used with some success to design tissue matrixes (e.g. collagen, fibrin, gelatine, hyaluronic acid, agarose, alginate, or chitosan).
Yours,
Dinesh