Advancing Cartilage Regeneration and Repair: Biomaterials and Biomechanical Strategies

The field of cartilage replacement and regeneration is a critical area of research within surgery and tissue engineering. Cartilage, being a nonvascular tissue with limited cellular content, has a poor capacity for self-repair, leading to progressive degeneration and conditions such as osteoarthritis following injury. Traditional treatments often culminate in arthroplasty, highlighting the need for innovative solutions. Recent advancements have seen bioengineering progress from addressing focal cartilage damage to tackling osteoarthritis. Synthetic and naturally-derived biomaterials are being tailored to replicate the structural and mechanical properties of native cartilage, providing a conducive microenvironment for tissue regeneration. Polymers, particularly hydrogels, have shown significant promise due to their structural and mechanical resemblance to the extracellular matrix of articular cartilage. Despite these advancements, there remains a need for more effective strategies that can meet the demands of early surgical intervention and site-specific regeneration.

This research topic aims to advance the development and characterization of novel biomaterials and methodologies for cartilage tissue replacement and regeneration. The primary objective is to explore and enhance strategies that can serve as cartilage substitutes or scaffolds for tissue engineering. Key questions include how to induce and support chondrocyte proliferation and new extracellular matrix synthesis, and how to design biomaterials that mimic the biomechanics of native cartilage. There is a growing need to integrate in vitro bioreactor models with in vivo trials to bridge the gap between laboratory findings and clinical applications, accelerating clinical translation. Hypotheses to be tested involve the efficacy of various biomaterials, including hydrogels and extracellular matrices, in promoting cartilage regeneration and their potential for clinical application.

To gather further insights into the boundaries of cartilage replacement and regeneration, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Development of naturally derived and synthetic biomaterials for cartilage tissue engineering

- Biomaterial-driven strategies for cartilage repair, characterization, and modeling

- 3D printing and bioprinting of scaffolds

- In vitro culture conditions and development of bioreactors

- Comparison between human/animal cartilage and natural/synthetic biomaterials properties

- Experimental testing of the biomechanical behavior of biomaterials and articular cartilage

- Characterization of hyperelastic, viscoelastic, and poro-viscoelastic mechanical behavior

- Constitutive and computational modeling for biomechanical analysis and in silico trials

- Machine learning-driven strategies to aid biomaterials design and application

-Personalized biomaterial designs and computational models specific to patients

- In vivo trials and key advances for clinical translation of medical devices

This collection welcomes Original Research, Review, Mini Review, and Perspectives articles