A Mesoscale 3D Culture System for Native and Engineered Biphasic Tissues: Application to the Osteochondral Unit

Interface tissues are functionally graded tissues characterized by a complex layered structure, which therefore present a great challenge to be reproduced and cultured in vitro. Here, we describe the design and operation of a 3D printed dual-chamber bioreactor as a culturing system for biphasic native or engineered osteochondral tissues. The bioreactor is designed to potentially accommodate a variety of interface tissues and enables the precise study of tissue crosstalk by creating two separate microenvironments while maintaining the tissue compartments in direct contact.