ABSTRACT
Profound voids still exist in the current body of knowledge in articular cartilage biology, despite the considerable progress that has been made in understanding tissue development and maintenance. An understanding of the basic biology of articular cartilage differentiation is a prerequisite for any translational aspirations for cartilage regeneration. An example of how a lack of understanding of basic cartilage biology hinders therapeutic development is the perennial problem of articular cartilage integration. When using implanted grafts or cells, integration between the implanted articular cartilage, be it native tissue allografts or engineered tissues, and the surrounding tissue is of crucial importance for mechanical function. One of the new manufacturing methods that may be flexible enough for the processing of the complex, biological products is additive manufacturing. Additive manufacturing can potentially address the complexities needed for future cartilage products. The dense, extracellular matrix of cartilage has long been hypothesized to confer immunoprotection to the tissue and its cells.
