The repair and regeneration of damaged cartilage tissue is one of the most challenging issues in surgery and tissue engineering approaches. Since cartilage is a nonvascular tissue with limited cellular content, its ability to self-restore is very poor. After cartilage injury, progressive degeneration and osteoarthritis ensues, often necessitating arthroplasty.
Bioengineering of cartilage has progressed from the treatment of focal cartilage damages to osteoarthritis. Synthetic and naturally-derived biomaterials can be customized to mimic the structural and mechanical properties of native cartilage or to provide physicochemical and physical factors that regulate cell behavior and offer a microenvironment suitable for cartilage tissue regeneration. In this field, polymers and in particular hydrogels have shown great potential because of their structural and mechanical similarities with the extracellular matrix of the articular cartilage. They can also be used as injectable materials capable of adapting to the shape of focal damages or as bioink seeded with living cells for 3D bioprinting of engineered cartilage tissue.
The main focus of this Research Topic is to provide the state-of-the-art development of novel strategies or further bolster existing methodologies for cartilage tissue replacement and regeneration as cartilage substitutes or scaffolds for tissue engineering. These strategies need to meet the demand for early surgical intervention through time-controlled and site-specific mechanisms, with the potential to significantly advance clinical applications.
By exploring biomaterials including, among others, hydrogels, natural and synthetic extracellular matrices and chemical-physical stimulus responsive scaffolds, the aim is to fulfill the imperative of inducing and supporting chondrocyte proliferation and new extracellular matrix synthesis.
Moreover, computer methods for biomaterial design, such as finite element modeling and computer-aided manufacturing, and machine learning-driven strategies can meet the demand for biomaterials that mimic the structure and biomechanics of native cartilage.
This Research Topic aims to collect high-quality contributions in the development and characterization of biomaterials for cartilage replacement and regeneration.
Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- development of naturally derived and synthetic biomaterials for cartilage tissue engineering;
- biomaterial-driven strategies for cartilage repair, characterization and modeling;
- 3D printing and bioprinting of scaffolds;
- in vitro culture conditions and development of bioreactors;
- comparison between human/animal cartilage and natural/synthetic biomaterials properties;
- experimental testing of the biomechanical behavior of biomaterials and articular cartilage;
- characterization of hyperelastic, viscoelastic and poro-viscoelastic mechanical behavior;
- constitutive and computational modelling for biomechanical analysis and in silico trials;
- machine learning-driven strategies to aid biomaterials design and application;
- in vivo trials and key advances for clinical translation of medical devices
This collection welcomes Original Research, Review, Mini Review, and Perspectives articles.
Keywords:
Cartilage repair, polymeric biomaterial, hydrogel, extracellular matrix, tissue engineering, bioprinting, biomechanical properties
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
The repair and regeneration of damaged cartilage tissue is one of the most challenging issues in surgery and tissue engineering approaches. Since cartilage is a nonvascular tissue with limited cellular content, its ability to self-restore is very poor. After cartilage injury, progressive degeneration and osteoarthritis ensues, often necessitating arthroplasty.
Bioengineering of cartilage has progressed from the treatment of focal cartilage damages to osteoarthritis. Synthetic and naturally-derived biomaterials can be customized to mimic the structural and mechanical properties of native cartilage or to provide physicochemical and physical factors that regulate cell behavior and offer a microenvironment suitable for cartilage tissue regeneration. In this field, polymers and in particular hydrogels have shown great potential because of their structural and mechanical similarities with the extracellular matrix of the articular cartilage. They can also be used as injectable materials capable of adapting to the shape of focal damages or as bioink seeded with living cells for 3D bioprinting of engineered cartilage tissue.
The main focus of this Research Topic is to provide the state-of-the-art development of novel strategies or further bolster existing methodologies for cartilage tissue replacement and regeneration as cartilage substitutes or scaffolds for tissue engineering. These strategies need to meet the demand for early surgical intervention through time-controlled and site-specific mechanisms, with the potential to significantly advance clinical applications.
By exploring biomaterials including, among others, hydrogels, natural and synthetic extracellular matrices and chemical-physical stimulus responsive scaffolds, the aim is to fulfill the imperative of inducing and supporting chondrocyte proliferation and new extracellular matrix synthesis.
Moreover, computer methods for biomaterial design, such as finite element modeling and computer-aided manufacturing, and machine learning-driven strategies can meet the demand for biomaterials that mimic the structure and biomechanics of native cartilage.
This Research Topic aims to collect high-quality contributions in the development and characterization of biomaterials for cartilage replacement and regeneration.
Topics may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- development of naturally derived and synthetic biomaterials for cartilage tissue engineering;
- biomaterial-driven strategies for cartilage repair, characterization and modeling;
- 3D printing and bioprinting of scaffolds;
- in vitro culture conditions and development of bioreactors;
- comparison between human/animal cartilage and natural/synthetic biomaterials properties;
- experimental testing of the biomechanical behavior of biomaterials and articular cartilage;
- characterization of hyperelastic, viscoelastic and poro-viscoelastic mechanical behavior;
- constitutive and computational modelling for biomechanical analysis and in silico trials;
- machine learning-driven strategies to aid biomaterials design and application;
- in vivo trials and key advances for clinical translation of medical devices
This collection welcomes Original Research, Review, Mini Review, and Perspectives articles.
Keywords:
Cartilage repair, polymeric biomaterial, hydrogel, extracellular matrix, tissue engineering, bioprinting, biomechanical properties
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.