Tissue Engineering for Musculoskeletal Regeneration and Disease Modeling

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Musculoskeletal injuries are a primary cause of global physical disability.
• Tissue engineering offers promising approaches for musculoskeletal defect repair.
• Current limitations in 2D cell cultures and animal models hinder clinical translation of regenerative therapies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review tissue engineering strategies for musculoskeletal organ/tissue chip components.
• To highlight the generation and potential of musculoskeletal tissue chips in regenerative medicine.
• To describe exemplary microphysiological systems for musculoskeletal tissue modeling.

Main Methods:

• Review of tissue engineering-based fabrication of musculoskeletal tissue chip components.
• Description of strategies for generating musculoskeletal tissue chips.
• Analysis of exemplary microphysiological systems mimicking musculoskeletal tissues.

Main Results:

• Significant progress in tissue engineering components (biomaterials, cells, signaling molecules).
• Microphysiological systems (tissue chips) show potential as next-generation drug testing models.
• Human cell-derived, 3D, multi-tissue systems accurately model orthopedic disorders and test treatments.

Conclusions:

• Tissue chips represent a significant advancement over traditional models for studying musculoskeletal disorders.
• This technology is poised to enhance understanding of musculoskeletal pathophysiology.
• Emerging tissue chip technology will accelerate the development of advanced pharmaceuticals and regenerative therapies.