Woven Scaffolds Could Improve Cartilage Repair

Using a unique weaving machine, Duke University Medical Center researchers have created a three-dimensional fabric "scaffold" that could greatly improve the ability of physicians to repair damaged joints with the patient's own stem cells. In the near future, surgeons will be able to impregnate custom-designed scaffolds with cartilage-forming stem cells and chemicals that stimulate their growth and then implant them into patients during a single procedure. By taking a synthetic material with the properties of cartilage and combining it with living cells, human tissue can be can be built and rapidly integrated into the body. This is a new and promising approach to tissue engineering!

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070206132103.htm