Building the future of meniscus regeneration: Patient-specific approaches

Associated with the publication: Cengiz I.F., Pereira H., Pitikakis M., Espregueira-Mendes J., Oliveira J.M., Reis R.L. (2017) Building the Basis for Patient-Specific Meniscal Scaffolds. In: Gobbi A., Espregueira-Mendes J., Lane J., Karahan M. (eds) Bio-orthopaedics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. The current strategies for the total or partial meniscus replacement with allograft transplantation or scaffold implantation need to be improved to overcome the limitations in the clinics. In addition to the required biological and biomechanical performance of the implants, the size and the shape of the implant are critical for the success of the treatment. The commercial implants are re-sized by cutting at the time of surgery according to the patient’s need; however, not completely in a 3D manner. The meniscal implants should advance beyond the traditional biomaterial concept by being patient-specific not only in terms of size and shape but regarding the cells and biologics derived from the patient. Herein, we overview the recent reports related to manufacturing of patient-specific meniscal implants.