Growth Factors and Signalling Molecules for Cartilage Tissue Engineering – from Embryology to Innovative Release Strategies for Guided Tissue Engineering

Modern Tissue Engineering represents a highly complex interdisciplinary branch of science which brings the life sciences and engineering together to design innovative solutions for the treatment of critical tissue defects after traumatic or degenerative damage. In this area an interesting evolution can be observed in the approach to achieve this goal: Originally understood as a principally biomaterial-based strategy using natural and synthetic materials as implants to be integrated into the neighbouring tissue, during the last two decades a change of paradigm has taken place which involves a movement away from the structural replacement of damaged tissue towards strategies to regenerate functional tissue (Kirkpatrick et al., 2006). In this approach cells play an important role, for example in seeding scaffold materials, which give a preformed structure for the regenerating tissue. A major aim is the synthesis of so-called tissue-like structures in vitro which can be implanted in the damaged tissue site and should be integrated into the body’s own tissue. Relevant obstacles to this strategy are the proper morphological integration of the cell-material construct in the structural context of the damaged tissue site as well as the maintenance of its function. The use of cells in combination with different biomaterials gives an important