Method of Joining Hydro Gels

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DESCRIPTION: The bearing surface of human joints consists of cartilage that is supported by the underlying bone. The cartilage (chondral) and bone (osseous) tissues can deteriorate, resulting from arthritis or trauma, which are debilitating diseases in humans and other species. Arthritis and trauma are the leading causes of physical disabilities, necessitating billion-dollar expenditures annually in medical care and rehabilitation. Joint deterioration can be treated in many ways, but ultimately the joint is replaced by metal and plastic prosthetic components. Tissue engineering is an alternative that offers the hope of regenerating native tissues by seeding cells in appropriate biomaterial scaffolds. A tissue-engineered osteochondral (bone-cartilage) construct is made by combining two dissimilar materials. The soft material is designed to eventually form cartilage, and the harder material is designed to form bone-like tissue. This invention consists of joining a soft, water-filled polymer, referred to as a hydrogel, to a porous substrate consisting of a metal, ceramic, or organic material to form a composite structure. The benefit of the process is its application to the formation of engineered osteochondral constructs for the repair of articular joint defects.