Co-Culture of a Chondrocyte Monolayer With Engineered Cartilage Constructs Immediately Increases Tissue Properties

Engineered cartilage comprised of chondrocytes encapsulated in agarose gel is capable of attaining a Young’s modulus and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content comparable to native tissue within 8 weeks of culture [1]. Expediting this growth, especially early in culture when pericellular matrices are first forming, may be critical to optimizing functional properties of the tissue as well as increasing their impact and use in cartilage repair strategies. Recently, we have been exploring the concept of a feeder layer, typically associated with culturing embryonic stem cells, for tissue engineering of cartilage.