[Tissue engineering for articular cartilage repair improved by gene transfer. Current concepts]

Cartilage tissue engineering is the creation of functional substitutes of native articular cartilage in bioreactors by attaching chondrogenic cells to polymer scaffolds. One limitation of tissue engineering is the delivery of regulatory signals to cells according to specific temporal and spatial patterns. Using gene transfer techniques, polypeptide growth factor genes such as the human insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) gene can be transferred into chondrocytes. When these modified cells are used for cartilage tissue engineering, the resulting cartilaginous constructs have improved structural and functional characteristics compared to constructs based on nonmodified cells. The combination of cartilage tissue engineering with overexpression of potential therapeutic genes using gene transfer technologies provides a basis for the development of novel molecular therapies for the repair of cartilage defects.