Graft collar and scaffold apparatuses for musculoskeletal tissue engineering and related methods

This application describes apparatuses and methods for musculoskeletal tissue engineering. Specifically, graft collar and scaffold apparatuses are provided for promoting fixation of musculoskeletal soft tissue to bone. This application provides for graft collars comprising biopolymer mesh and/or polymer-fiber mesh for fixing tendon to bone. In one aspect, the graft collar comprises more than one region, wherein the regions can comprise different materials configured to promote integration of and the regeneration of the interfacial region between tendon and bone. This application also provides for scaffold apparatuses and methods for fixing musculoskeletal soft tissue to bone. The scaffold apparatus is multiphasic, preferably triphasic, and each phase is configured promote growth and proliferation of a different cell and its associated tissue. In one aspect, the scaffold apparatus is triphasic, with phases comprising materials to promote growth and proliferation of fibroblasts, chondroblasts, and osteoblasts. In addition, an apparatus comprising two portions, each of said portion being the scaffold apparatus described above is provided, wherein each of said portion encases one end of a soft tissue graft. Further, a triphasic interference screw is provided. This application further provides apparatuses and methods for inducing formation of fibrocartilage comprising wrapping a graft collar with polymer-fiber mesh configured to apply compression to the graft collar. In another aspect, the polymer-fiber is applied directly to the graft to apply compression to the graft.