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Tissue Engineering of Ligaments and Tendons

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The ACL Handbook

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Abstract

Tissue engineering is a creative process where cells, scaffolds, and growth factors are combined to form a construct that can be used to replace or regenerate injured tissues. Cells that are specific to the tissue of interest can be used (for ligament, one might select the fibroblast) or can be earlier progenitor cells (e.g., mesenchymal stem cells) that can be coerced into turning into fibroblasts. Cells can also be implanted with a scaffold or encouraged to come into a scaffold from the local environment in situ. Scaffolds can be mechanically strong, particular for replacing load bearing structures, or they can be purely biologic in function, for example, when supplementing a suture repair where the sutures will carry the load. The desired signaling molecules may be multiple and complex as presented in the prior chapter on wound healing; thus, autologous cells capable of releasing these factors over days to weeks might be useful as sustained delivery systems.

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Acknowledgement

Research reported in this chapter was supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers RO1-AR054099 and RO1-AR056834. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Patrick Vavken MD, MSc

  2. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Division of Sports Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 300 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Martha M. Murray MD

Authors
  1. Patrick Vavken MD, MSc
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  2. Martha M. Murray MD
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Correspondence to Patrick Vavken MD, MSc .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Longwood Avenue 300, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    Martha M. Murray

  2. Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Longwood Avenue 300, Boston, 02115, Massachusetts, USA

    Patrick Vavken

  3. Brown University, Rhode Island Hospital, Warren Alpert Medical School, Hoppin Street 1, Providence, 02903, Rhode Island, USA

    Braden Fleming

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Vavken, P., Murray, M.M. (2013). Tissue Engineering of Ligaments and Tendons. In: Murray, M., Vavken, P., Fleming, B. (eds) The ACL Handbook. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0760-7_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-0760-7_12

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-0759-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-0760-7

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