Abstract
Here, we report a newly designed knee plug to be used in the 3rd generation of Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI) in order to heal the damaged knee cartilage. It is composed of three components: The first component (Bone Portion) is a 3D printed hard scaffold with large pores (~ 850 µm), made by hydroxyapatite and β-tricalcium phosphate to accommodate the bony parts underneath the knee cartilage. It is a cylinder with a diameter of 20 mm and height of 7.5 mm, with a slight dome shape on top. The plug also comprises a Cartilage Portion (component 2) which is a 3D printed gelatin/elastin/sodium-hyaluronate soft thick porous membrane with large pores to accommodate chondrocytes. Cartilage Portion is secured on top of the Bone Portion using mechanical interlocking by designing specific knobs in the 3D printed construct of the Cartilage Portion. The third component of the plug (Film) is a stitchable permeable membrane consisting of polycaprolactone (PCL) on top of the Cartilage Portion to facilitate sliding of the knee joint and to hold the entire plug in place while allowing nutrients delivery to the Cartilage Portion. The PCL Film is prepared using a combination of film casting and sacrificial material leaching with a pore size of 10 µm. It is surface modified to have specific affinity with the Cartilage Portion. The detailed design criteria and production process of this plug is presented in this report. Full in vitro analyses have been performed, which indicate the compatibility of the different components of the plug relative to their expected functions.
Highlights
We report a newly designed knee plug to be used in the 3rd generation of Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI) in order to heal the damaged knee cartilage
Bone ends within knee joint is covered with articular cartilage, a tissue which is highly prone to injury
Focusing on 3D printing method and possibility of mechanical interlocking in this technique, we report a new design of a knee plug composed of three components: two components to accommodate the chondrocytes and the bone cells underneath the cartilage, and one component as a membrane that covers the whole construct
Summary
We report a newly designed knee plug to be used in the 3rd generation of Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI) in order to heal the damaged knee cartilage It is composed of three components: The first component (Bone Portion) is a 3D printed hard scaffold with large pores (~ 850 μm), made by hydroxyapatite and β-tricalcium phosphate to accommodate the bony parts underneath the knee cartilage. (2) Repair: Such as microfracture drilling, which is an outpatient and minimally-invasive practice, mostly utilized following sports injuries In this procedure, the surgeon drills small fractures into the bone at the base of the damaged cartilage in the knee joint to repair the injured area by stimulating the growth of healthy "scar" cartilage, called fibrocartilage. (3) Restoration: Such as osteochondral autograft or allograft, and autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI), which are applied for serious cartilage injuries
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
