Abstract
Meniscal injuries are common in orthopedic practice and often result in chronic pain, joint dysfunction, and early-onset osteoarthritis. Current treatments—partial meniscectomy, suture repair, and synthetic implants—fail to replicate the meniscus's native mechanical and viscoelastic functions, leading to joint degradation. Thus, there is a pressing need for a scalable, cost-effective, and mechanically robust meniscal replacement that promotes biological integration.
This dissertation introduces Hybrid Hydrogels Augmented via Additive Network Integration (HANI), a novel scaffold fabrication approach for creating composite constructs with tunable biomechanical properties. The HANI system combines gelatin-based hydrogels crosslinked with glutaraldehyde (GTA) and poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) reinforcements, fabricated using accessible additive manufacturing techniques such as Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) and Stereolithography (SLA). Custom molds and thermal alignment masks facilitate seamless integration of anisotropic PCL architectures—including aligned, circumferential, and 3D thermomolded designs—into the hydrogel matrix.
A modular testing apparatus was developed to assess scaffold mechanics under confined compression. Results showed HANI scaffolds could be tailored to mimic the poroviscoelastic behavior of native meniscus, with PCL-reinforced constructs exhibiting enhanced compressive stiffness and anisotropic properties.
This work offers a clinically relevant, scalable solution for tissue-engineered meniscal replacements, with broader applications across cartilage, disc, and tendon repair.