Human periosteum derived cells and PEG hydrogels for in vitro chondrogenesis

What is it about?

Cartilage damage due to disease, trauma, or just everyday wear and tear, is a very prevalent issue in today's society. Since self-renewal of this damaged tissue is extremely slow and almost non-existent, regenerating it with help of the body's own stem cells and engineered 3D biomaterials is a very attractive avenue of research. Through this current research, we were able to demonstrate a new combination of stem cell-like source, human periosteum derived cells, and a 3D PEG biomaterial can not only help expand the cells but, when placed in the right stimulation, in vitro, can help initiate the new cartilage matrix production within the same system.

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Why is it important?

This study demonstrates the strong potential of human periosteum derived cells to be used for cartilage tissue regeneration, and thus opens up another avenue of research to explore. Furthermore, the insight into a single system that can expand and help cells undergo differentiation can be used to as a platform to build future advanced constructs upon.