Osteochondral Regeneration: Tuning Cell Differentiation into a 3D Scaffold Presenting a Pore Shape Gradient for Osteochondral Regeneration (Adv. Healthcare Mater. 14/2016)

A combination of human mesenchymal stem cells with additive manufacturing technology for the fabrication of scaffolds with instructive properties is presented by Lorenzo Moroni and co‐workers on page 1753. This new fiber deposition pattern allows the generation of pores of different shapes within the same construct. The most rhomboidal pore geometry sustained enhances alkaline phosphatase activity and osteogenic related genes expression with respect to the other gradient zones when the gradient scaffold is cultured in a medium supporting both osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation. This may contribute to enhance osteochondral regeneration in orthopedic treatments.