Advancing cartilage tissue engineering: the application of stem cell technology

The treatment of cartilage pathology and trauma face the challenges of poor regenerative potential and inferior repair. Nevertheless, recent advances in tissue engineering indicate that adult stem cells could provide a source of chondrocytes for tissue engineering that the isolation of mature chondrocytes has failed to achieve. Various adjuncts to their propagation and differentiation have been explored, such as biomaterials, bioreactors and growth hormones. To date, all tissue engineered cartilage has been significantly mechanically inferior to its natural counterparts and further problems in vivo relate to poor integration and deterioration of tissue quality over time. However, adult stem cells--with their high rate of proliferation and ease of isolation--are expected to greatly further the development and usefulness of tissue engineered cartilage.