Musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders cause pain and disability and affect a range of tissues including muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, nerves, intervertebral discs, and blood vessels. Chronic MSK disorders such as intervertebral disc degeneration, tendinopathy, arthritis, complications of fracture healing, and osteoporosis are often associated with aging and certain metabolic diseases but can also appear in young adults due to mechanical trauma or genetic factors. Trauma or tumor resection can also create debilitating MSK conditions including non-union fractures and non-healing tendons, intervertebral discs, and cartilage degeneration.
There have been tremendous efforts and successes during the last few decades that advanced the field of tissue engineering forward in the areas of biomaterials, organs-on-chips, pluripotent stem cells, and imaging. However, the underlying mechanisms of many MSK disorders are still poorly understood. Moreover, there is much room for further development of these technologies and their combination into clinically feasible and effective treatments and tissue engineering applications for MSK conditions.
We will address two key technological challenges in this topic: 1) Modeling musculoskeletal disorders using advanced technologies to study mechanisms of the disease and testing potential treatments, and 2) Combining advanced technologies like biomaterials, stem cells and small molecules into clinically feasible and effective treatments or therapies. The disease models covered in this topic will include organs-on-chips, ex vivo models (e.g., organ cultures), and novel in vivo models. The regenerative approaches covered in this topic will include biomaterials, small molecules, orthobiologics (unmanipulated), gene therapy, and stem cells derived from pluripotent cells or isolated from adult tissues and manipulated in vitro.
We welcome the submission of Original Research and methodological manuscripts that cover but are not limited, to the following topics:
· Organ-on-chip models for MSK tissues
· Ex vivo models for tissue degeneration and repair
· Animal models for MSK disorders
· Biomechanical properties of healthy and degenerated tissues
· Tissue engineering of bone, cartilage, muscle, tendon, and spine
· Tissue defect regeneration using biomaterials and stem cells
· Designing new biomaterials for tissue regeneration
· Interaction between biomaterials and tissue-specific stem cells
· Biofabrication of combined cells or small molecules and biomaterials
· 3D printing of MSK tissues
· Biomanufacturing of stem cells for translational purposes
· Advanced cellular and organelle imaging techniques for MSK applications
· Tissue healing and repair in infection model of diseases.
Musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders cause pain and disability and affect a range of tissues including muscles, bones, tendons, ligaments, nerves, intervertebral discs, and blood vessels. Chronic MSK disorders such as intervertebral disc degeneration, tendinopathy, arthritis, complications of fracture healing, and osteoporosis are often associated with aging and certain metabolic diseases but can also appear in young adults due to mechanical trauma or genetic factors. Trauma or tumor resection can also create debilitating MSK conditions including non-union fractures and non-healing tendons, intervertebral discs, and cartilage degeneration.
There have been tremendous efforts and successes during the last few decades that advanced the field of tissue engineering forward in the areas of biomaterials, organs-on-chips, pluripotent stem cells, and imaging. However, the underlying mechanisms of many MSK disorders are still poorly understood. Moreover, there is much room for further development of these technologies and their combination into clinically feasible and effective treatments and tissue engineering applications for MSK conditions.
We will address two key technological challenges in this topic: 1) Modeling musculoskeletal disorders using advanced technologies to study mechanisms of the disease and testing potential treatments, and 2) Combining advanced technologies like biomaterials, stem cells and small molecules into clinically feasible and effective treatments or therapies. The disease models covered in this topic will include organs-on-chips, ex vivo models (e.g., organ cultures), and novel in vivo models. The regenerative approaches covered in this topic will include biomaterials, small molecules, orthobiologics (unmanipulated), gene therapy, and stem cells derived from pluripotent cells or isolated from adult tissues and manipulated in vitro.
We welcome the submission of Original Research and methodological manuscripts that cover but are not limited, to the following topics:
· Organ-on-chip models for MSK tissues
· Ex vivo models for tissue degeneration and repair
· Animal models for MSK disorders
· Biomechanical properties of healthy and degenerated tissues
· Tissue engineering of bone, cartilage, muscle, tendon, and spine
· Tissue defect regeneration using biomaterials and stem cells
· Designing new biomaterials for tissue regeneration
· Interaction between biomaterials and tissue-specific stem cells
· Biofabrication of combined cells or small molecules and biomaterials
· 3D printing of MSK tissues
· Biomanufacturing of stem cells for translational purposes
· Advanced cellular and organelle imaging techniques for MSK applications
· Tissue healing and repair in infection model of diseases.
