Development of a Co-Culture Bioreactor for Anchoring Tissue Engineered Meniscus
In the knee joint, the meniscus connects to the tibial plateau at the horns, acts as a shock absorber, and lubricates and protects the articular cartilage. Meniscus damage is one of the most common intra-articular knee injuries. Due to the partially avascular nature of the meniscus, healing of deep tissue injuries is limited. Current treatments for total meniscus replacement require total meniscectomy followed by allograft transplant, which results in joint degeneration and is limited by supply and donor geometry. The preferred surgical approach for meniscus transplantation is fixation with osteochondral plugs. Studies have shown that proper fixation of the meniscus is essential to the restoration of health knee biomechanics. In native menisci there is a bone to fibrocartilage gradient at the attachment sites, which is difficult to mimic in vitro. Dr. Bonassar's lab has established a method to create an anatomically accurate tissue engineered (TE) meniscus, however a fixation technique has yet to be established.
The goal of this project is to create a bioreactor for meniscus culture that accommodates anchoring the meniscus construct to bone. The design will need to two chambers in which different types of media can be applied to either the bone or meniscus construct. Depending on the progress of the project there is potential to expand studies to evaluate constructs cultured in the chamber using histology and biochemical analysis.
This project is a collaboration between Dr. Bonassar in the department of biomedical engineering and Dr. Scott Rodeo at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Project work will be conducted in Dr. Bonassar's lab with consultation with Dr. Scott Rodeo.
This project is well suited for 1-2 students who have a background in mechanical design, including CAD and experience in machining. Familiarity with mechanical testing, Labview and Matlab software is also desirable. Interested students should send a copy of a resume and unofficial transcript to Prof. Bonassar.
Contact: Prof. L.J. Bonassar
Email: lb244@cornell.edu
Phone:5-9381
Office:149 Weill Hall
