Hydrogels and bioreactors for cartilage research and functional tissue engineering

Current clinical approaches to cartilage repair fail to restore the physiological function of the tissue, prompting the development of alternative strategies. This thesis focuses on advancing technologies to generate tissue-engineered cartilage as biological implants for joint resurfacing. It examines the effects of hydrogel scaffolds and mechanical stimulation facilitated by custom bioreactor systems on the development of ex vivo engineered cartilage tissues. The findings of this thesis demonstrate that hydrogels can be engineered to be tough and cell-instructive to provide mechanical support and promote cartilage growth, which can further be enhanced by biaxial mechanical loading simulating the native biomechanical joint environment