Fabrication, characterization, and bioactivity of multi-compartment collagen-gag scaffolds for orthopedic interfaces

It has been estimated that over 62 million tendon and ligament injuries occur every year. The failure rate for these injuries can be despairingly high, such as 94% in the case of rotator cuff injuries. One possible cause for these failures is the inadequate recapitulation of the interface between the two mechanically and chemically different tissues, like bone and ligament or bone and tendon. In particular, we are developing a multi-compartment regenerative scaffold designed to mimic the distinct tendinous and osseous compartments as well as the continuous interface. Such a scaffold could induce the physiological wound healing processes in critical defects, while maintaining the mechanical and chemical properties inherent in the native tissue. The present project is developing the necessary fabrication, characterization, and bioactivity analysis strategies for a multi-compartment collagen-glycosaminoglycan (CG) and calcium phosphate mineralized CG (CGCaP) scaffold with a gradient in mineral content, specifically mimicking the bone-tendon-junction (BTJ) site.Copyright © 2011 by ASME