0604 - in Vitro Tissue Engineering of Human Tendon

INTRODUCTION The availability of autologous tendons for transplantation can present significant problems in the treatment of patients with tendon injuries. Studies have investigated the fabrication of tissue engineered ligaments for transplantation (1-3), but few have focused on the engineering of tendon. In 1995, Cao et al studied the feasibility of creating neo-tendons from bovine tenocytes seeded onto a polyglycolic acid (PGA) scaffold. In this invivo study scaffolds were seeded with tenocytes and then implanted subcutaneously into nude mice. The engineered neo-tendons had histologic characteristics similar to native tendon and approximately 60% of the strength of native tendon (4). To move tendon engineering a step closer to clinical application, we must understand the behavior of human tenocytes on 3-dimensional scaffolds in vitro. Furthermore, the development of tissues in vitro has the advantage of more precise control over the factors which regulate tissue development: nutrient supply, growth factors, and mechanical stimuli. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of growing human tenocytes on a polyglycolic acid (PGA) scaffold in vitro.