3-D Printing Knee Implants: Novel Models for Stem Cell Regeneration in Meniscus Tears

Overview

The most common knee injury is a torn meniscus, affecting 65% of all adults and contact-sports athletes. The meniscus is the primary cartilage in the knee, stabilizing over 85% of the total loads. Currently, commercially available meniscus implants are not personalized or representative of the physiological properties of the meniscus, resulting in poor tissue regeneration and the onset of osteoarthritis. This investigation 3D-printed novel composite implants by combining polycaprolactone scaffolds and gelatin/chondroitin sulfate hydrogels. The implants were personalized using patient-specific tear MRIs and latticed using computational geometry. Finite element simulations were used to optimize lattice structure under physiologically relevant knee conditions. The resulting implant models were structurally and biologically characterized in comparison to the positive control, porcine meniscus tissue. Scanning electron micrographs and micro-CT scans showed an open pore geometry with an average size of 215 μm with localized differences, conducive to cartilage repair. Rheological frequency sweeps found a complex modulus, an indication of stiffness and elasticity, of 132 megapascals. All structural properties mimicked porcine tissue, as indicated by statistically insignificant results. The implants supported the chondrogenic differentiation of ligament stem cells, as was confirmed through cell staining. MTT assay found 10-fold cell proliferation from initial seeding with >97% viability. Overall, the novel implant developed in this project is a viable regeneration option, important in the context of sports medicine and the prevention of osteoarthritis.

Competition history

• AJAS 2025 Category not listed

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