Systematic Comparison of Biomaterials‐Based Strategies for Osteochondral and Chondral Repair in Large Animal Models

Abstract

Joint repair remains a major challenge in orthopaedics. Recent progress in biomaterial design has led to the fabrication of a plethora of promising devices. Pre-clinical testing of any joint repair strategy typically requires the use of large animal models (e.g., sheep, goat, pig or horse). Despite the key role of such models in clinical translation, there is still a lack of consensus regarding optimal experimental design, making it difficult to draw conclusions on their efficacy. In this context, the authors performed a systematic literature review and a risk of bias assessment on large animal models published between 2010 and 2020, to identify key experimental parameters that significantly affect the biomaterial therapeutic outcome and clinical translation potential (including defect localization, animal age/maturity, selection of controls, cell-free versus cell-laden). They determined that mechanically strong biomaterials perform better at the femoral condyles; while highlighted the importance of including native tissue controls to better evaluate the quality of the newly formed tissue. Finally, in cell-laded biomaterials, the pre-culture conditions played a more important role in defect repair than the cell type. In summary, here they present a systematic evaluation on how the experimental design of preclinical models influences biomaterial-based therapeutic outcomes in joint repair.

Articulation inspired by nature: a review of biomimetic and biologically active 3D printed scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering

“…270,271 Similar to in vitro studies, it is difficult to draw direct comparisons between the results of in vivo studies due to differences in animal models used and experimental design. 272 However, similar to above, there are formulation trends present across studies. Firstly, in a large number of successful in vivo studies, the bioink (either composite or single component) is co-printed with a polymer to improve the mechanical properties of the 3D printed scaffold 99,125,223,267,270,273,274 (Fig.…”

Chitosan-Based Biomaterials for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications: A Short Review

“…Therefore, the results of different studies cannot be properly compared and a final conclusion on material potential cannot be conducted. In recent years, the standardization of protocols and regulation of biomaterials has become highly required in order to improve technology transfer and increase the amount of commercially available products [107][108][109]. An additional challenge characteristic for naturally derived polymers is that the different properties depend on the source and preparation method.…”

Mesenchymal Stem Cell Studies in the Goat Model for Biomedical Research—A Review of the Scientific Literature

“…The thickness of the medial condyle cartilage in goats has been reported by Brehm et al (2006) ranging between 0.8–2 mm and by Frisbie et al (2006) with 1.1 mm resulting in extensive variations of the chondral and subchondral bone volume involved in different studies [ 62 , 63 ]. In this way, choosing an appropriate animal model for chondral or osteochondral tissue engineering studies should be based on published scientific literature, guideline documents from the American Society for Testing and Materials, the International Cartilage Repair Society, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [ 64 , 65 ].…”