Engineering Scaffolds for Orthopedic Tissues

The use of tissue engineering scaffolds to treat lesions of orthopedic tissues has been studied preclinically and clinically since the last few decades. Orthopedic lesions are common, and the use of biomaterials is supported by the clinical need [1,2]. Two of the critical advances in the field are the 3D-printing of scaffolds and bioprinting of alive scaffolds/hydrogels using bioinks containing cells; where both enable patient-specific health care thanks to advances in the use of medical images [3,4]. It is known that modification of properties of a scaffold will affect the cell function and the outcome. The current outstanding challenges include the mismatch between the neotissue and the native tissue in terms of composition and biomechanics [5]. The eventual goal is to address the current challenges and limitations and provide functional healthcare services to the patients. Acknowledgments: IFC thanks the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the FCT distinction attributed to IFC under the Estímulo ao Emprego Científico program (2021.01969.CEECIND). The authors thank the financial support provided under the project “HEALTH-UNORTE: Setting-up biobanks and regenerative medicine strategies to boost research in cardiovascular, musculoskeletal, neurological, oncological, immunological and infectious diseases”, reference NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000039, funded by the Norte Portugal Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR-N), under the NORTE2020 Program. References: [1] Cengiz, I. F., et al. (2018). Orthopaedic regenerative tissue engineering en route to the holy grail: disequilibrium between the demand and the supply in the operating room. Journal of Experimental Orthopaedics, 5(1), 1-14. [2] Pereira, H., et al. Integration of polyurethane meniscus scaffold during ACL revision is not reliable at 5 years despite favourable clinical outcome. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc (2022). [3] Cengiz, I. F., Reis, R. L., & Oliveira, J. M. (2023). Engineering scaffolds for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In Advances in Biomedical Polymers and Composites (pp. 109-130). Elsevier. [4] Cengiz, I. F., et al. (2016). Building the basis for patient-specific meniscal scaffolds: from human knee MRI to fabrication of 3D printed scaffolds. Bioprinting, 1, 1-10. [5] Cengiz, I. F., et. al (2017). Treatments of meniscus lesions of the knee: current concepts and future perspectives. Regenerative Engineering and Translational Medicine, 3(1), 32-50.