The invention relates to a method of producing an elastin-reduced cartilage scaffold containing channels and/or lacunae, the method comprising the steps of providing an elastic cartilage sample and reducing elastin from said cartilage sample to produce said channels and/or lacunae. The invention further relates to an elastin-reduced cartilage scaffold. Said elastin-reduced cartilage scaffold can be used in a method of implantation in vivo, for repairment of cartilage, repairment of osteochondral defects and repairment of bone defects.

A cartilage repair implant, an auxiliary surgical tool kit and a cartilage repair system are provided. The cartilage repair implant includes a body and a plurality of pins. The body is a porous structure and is configured to carry cartilage repair material. The pins are fixed to the body for being inserted into a patient's bone. The auxiliary surgical tool kit includes a positioning sleeve and a click tool. The positioning sleeve has a through passage. A first alignment structure is disposed on the sidewall of the through passage. The click tool includes an outer tube and a push rod. A second alignment structure mutually aligned with the first alignment structure is disposed on the outer wall of the outer tube. The outer tube is configured to pass through the through passage. The push rod is slidably disposed in the outer tube. One end of the outer tube has a shaping blade for slicing a to-be-implanted region on an affected area of the patient. In which the shape of the to-be-implanted region is corresponding to the shape of the body.

The present invention relates to a cell-free, multi-layered medical device having bespoke, multifunctional bioactivity for the purpose of regeneration of skeletal tissues. The medical device may actively promote homing of stem cells into the medical device and promote their differentiation into the required cell type and promote de-novo tissue formation. The invention includes methods of making the medical device, uses of the medical device in promoting regeneration of the articular cartilage of a joint surface and in promoting healing and regeneration of skeletal tissues, for example, meniscal cartilage, tendon and ligament tissues and also healing of bone tissue indications such as fractures.

An artificial cartilage is provided whereby a fixed negative charged hydrogel has been infused within a restrictive swelling network, which limits and restricts the thickness of the artificial cartilage. At least 60% of the volume of the artificial cartilage is composed of the restricted and swollen hydrogel. The restrictive swelling network restricts the hydrogel to swell not more than 10% with respect to its maximum swelling capacity, i.e. a swelling capacity to swell 10-fold more is retained. The hydrogel within the restrictive swelling network has an equilibrium stiffness between 0.5 and 2 MPa to resist external loads applied to the top surface layer or the bottom surface layer of the artificial cartilage. The hydrogel has a fixed negative charge density of 0.17 to 0.23 mEg/ml and is capable of swelling between 2-15 times compared to the volume of the hydrogel without being restricted.

Methods and compositions for the biological repair of cartilage using a hybrid construct combining both an inert structure and living core are described. The inert structure is intended to act not only as a delivery system to feed and grow a living core component, but also as an inducer of cell differentiation. The inert structure comprises concentric internal and external and inflatable/expandable balloon-like bio-polymers. The living core comprises the cell-matrix construct comprised of HDFs, for example, seeded in a scaffold. The method comprises surgically removing a damaged cartilage from a patient and inserting the hybrid construct into the cavity generated after the foregoing surgical intervention. The balloons of the inert structure are successively inflated within the target area, such as a joint, for example. Also disclosed herein are methods for growing and differentiating human fibroblasts into chondrocyte-like cells via mechanical strain.

A scaffold (12) for tissue engineering comprises an inner portion (14), an outer portion (16), and a base portion (22) connecting the inner portion and the outer portion. The inner portion (14) comprises a channel (18) surrounded by a first set of one or more walls. The outer portion (16) comprises a second set of one or more walls. The portions are arranged such that the second set of one or more walls substantially surrounds the first set of one or more walls with a spacing between the first and second sets of walls defining a cavity (20) between the inner portion (14) and the outer portion (16). The inner portion (14) and the outer portion (16) may have different shapes; and/or the scaffold (12) may further comprise a filler material in the cavity (20) defined between the inner and outer portions.

An implant for repairing an articular cartilage defect site including an implant fixation portion with an upper segment and at least one bone interfacing segment and a top articulating portion with an articulating surface and an engagement surface. The upper segment includes a supporting plate with a first locking mechanism segment. The engagement surface includes a second locking mechanism segment. The first locking mechanism segment with at least two channels is structured to couple to the second locking mechanism segment with at least two protrusions. The at least one bone interfacing segment structured for insertion into the articular cartilage defect site. An implant including an implant fixation portion, a top articulating portion, and a locking mechanism with a first locking segment coupled to the upper segment and a second locking segment coupled to the at least one engagement surface and structured to couple to the first locking segment.

An implantable acellular polymeric scaffold device functionalized with aggrecan is provided. Also provided are methods of fabricating a polymeric scaffold device, including methods of fabricating the scaffold device via 3D printing. Methods of treating a cartilage defect in a subject in need thereof comprise application of the disclosed scaffold device in combination with microfracture procedures. A specialized lid for a centrifugation well plate is also provided.

The methods disclosed herein of generating three-dimensional lattice structures and reducing stress shielding have applications including use in medical implants. One method of generating a three-dimensional lattice structure can be used to generate a structure lattice and/or a lattice scaffold to support bone or tissue growth. One method of reducing stress shielding includes generating a structural lattice to provide sole mechanical spacing across an area for desired bone or tissue growth. Some examples can use a repeating modified rhombic dodecahedron or radial dodeca-rhombus unit cell. Some methods are also capable of providing a lattice structure with anisotropic properties to better suit the lattice for its intended purpose.

The invention broadly provides an implantable medical device comprising a liquid rope coil scaffold. The implant may consist essentially of the scaffold, where the scaffold is the implant and pores in the scaffold may incorporates one or more agents (i.e. drugs, growth factors), or the scaffold may comprise only part of the medical device, for example an implant that is partly or fully covered with a layer of the scaffold. The porosity of the scaffold may be tailored to suit the application, for example a porosity that is tailored to hold and release drug or biological molecules in vivo, a porosity to provide a surface roughness that is conducive to promotion of in-vivo bio-integration (for example vascularisation) or prevention of fibrosis, or a porosity that provides structural strength. The scaffold may be essentially tubular, or may be provided as a planar structure, or may be any shape and can be used to coat, fully or partially any shape or size of medical implant.