Osteochondral defects affect over 60% of patients that undergo knee surgery and present a major health and mobility concern. These defects are characterized by damage to both the articular cartilage and underlying subchondral bone, which often result from acute trauma, bone disorders, or long-term degeneration. With current treatments exhibiting certain limitations, tissue engineering represents an exciting alternative. 

Using knowledge of cell and embryonic differentiation, we designed a synthetic scaffold that can support osteo- and chondrogenic cell growth and tissue formation. Previous research has been able to generate in vivo validation of the scaffold’s ability to promote localized osteochondral tissue formation and repair post pre-differentiation. My goal is to generate additional in vitro validation in the rabbit model that is comparable to in vitro data in the human model. 

We proposed two main questions:

1. How can we seed the PLLA scaffolds such that cells are more robustly seeded throughout?
2. How can preservation of non-decalcified samples improve stains for visualization?