Bioreactor characterization and optimization for cartilage tissue engineering

As tissue engineering emerges to the forefront of biotechnology, scale-up related issues will become important. This includes developing bioreactors for batch production of tissue engineered constructs that will yield a large number of uniform constructs and be amenable to scale-up needs. This study implements the use of a concentric cylinder bioreactor for the tissue engineering of cartilage. Preliminary results indicate sufficient seeding occurs within 96 hrs; furthermore, glycosaminoglycan (GAG) production is seen to be affected at certain shear stresses. The simple flow field allows for quantification of the hydrodynamic forces experienced by the cells and constructs. In addition, this system provides for relatively straightforward bioreactor scale-up