Bioresorbable scaffolds for anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: do we need an off-the-shelf ACL substitute?

Currently available anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) graft sources, autograft and allograft, present potential problems that a natural biomaterial ACL graft might be able to solve. Earlier efforts in the development of synthetic ACL grafts were less than optimal, and those devices have largely been abandoned. We can learn from these past failures, and potentially develop a bioresorbable scaffold for ACL reconstruction, which will provide immediate stability, promote and direct tissue in growth, and degrade at an appropriate rate, without harmful wear debris. We have developed a modified silk scaffold, which is currently being evaluated in humans in a pilot study.