Regulating functional meniscus tissue regeneration by 3D-bioprinted complex geometrically precise hybrid scaffolds

The meniscus is a fibrocartilaginous tissue around the tibial plateau in the knee joint. They mainly serve in adapting 50%-70% of the load by reducing contact pressure in the joint. They also function to provide lubrication thereby reducing friction during movement of the knee joint. Meniscus tears are common injuries either resulting from acute knee injury or from long-standing degenerative processes. Treatment options for meniscal injuries range from nonsurgical interventions such as physical therapy, to surgical interventions including meniscus repair, meniscectomy, meniscus allograft transplantation (MAT) or more recently the use of meniscal scaffolds. In cases where preservation is no longer a viable option, meniscal transplantation with implants or scaffolds is often considered to restore knee biomechanics. The implants or scaffolds distribute the load across the entire contact area when considered to total meniscectomy, and possibly delay the onset of early osteoarthritis (OA). We aim to fabricate extremely controllable 3D architectural scaffolds for an in-depth understanding of meniscus tissue formation through the process of differentiation. The influence of bioprinted scaffolds on extracellular matrix formation is evaluated non-invasively with time-lapsed micro-computed tomography. The co-efficient of friction of the bioprinted scaffolds is evaluated in a cartilage-meniscus tribological system.