TITLE:
Perspectives on endogenous and exogenous tissue engineering following injury to tissues of the knee
AUTHORS:
David A. Hart
KEYWORDS:
The Knee as an Organ; Tissue Engineering; Mesenchymal Stem Cells; Joint Injury Repair
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biomedical Science and Engineering,
Vol.7 No.2,
January
29,
2014
ABSTRACT: The
knee is a multi-component organ system comprised of several tissues which
function coordinately to provide mobility.
Injury to any one component compromises the integrity of the system and
leads to adaptation of the other components. Over time, such events often lead
to dysfunction and degeneration of the knee. Therefore, there has been
considerable research emphasis to repair injured components in the knee
including cartilage, menisci, and ligaments. Approaches to improving healing
and repair/regeneration of knee tissues have included surgery, anti-sense
gene therapy, injection of growth factors and inflammatory cytokine
antagonists, transplantation of in vitro expanded chondrocytes, enhancement of endogenous cells via microfracture, injection of mesenchymal stem cells, and
implantation of in vitro tissue
engineered constructs. Some of these approaches have lead to temporary
improvement in knee functioning, while others offer the potential to restore
function and tissue integrity for longer periods of time. This article will
review the status of many of these approaches, and provide a perspective on
their limitations and potential to contribute to restoration of knee function
across the lifespan.