Tai, B.C.U., Du, C., Gao, S. and Wan, A.C.A. (2017), Synthetic Poly(Vinylalcohol)‐Based Membranes for Cartilage Surgery and Repair. Biotechnol. J., 12: 1700134. doi:10.1002/biot.201700134
Abstract:
Cell-based therapies for cartilage repair are continually being developed to treat osteoarthritis. The cells are either introduced directly by intra-articular injection or via a cell-seeded matrix scaffold. Here, we developed poly(vinylalcohol)-based membranes to be used for mesenchymal stem cell implantation in cartilage repair procedures, having controllable physicochemical properties such as porosity, mechanical strength and permeability, and a unique self-sealing property. The membranes possess a bilayer structure with a less porous layer providing mechanical strength and selective permeability, exhibit an elastic modulus of between 0.3 and 0.9 MPa, and are permeable to molecules