Tissues within the body experience mechanical perturbations across multiple force magnitudes and length scales, from mechanotransduction at the cell level to the dynamics of load-bearing joints. These forces not only maintain tissue homeostasis, but can also initiate degenerative processes when applied at supra-physiologic levels. Given the centrality of mechanical loading in normal tissue function, Drs. Mauck, Dodge, and Lee at the University of Pennsylvania developed a mechanically activated drug delivery system to stimulate regeneration and repair in mechanically loaded musculoskeletal tissues (e.g. cartilage, muscle, bone).
This technology has a wide variety of uses, such as prophylactic treatment of a joint after surgery, prevention of post-traumatic osteoarthritis, and improvement of cartilage regeneration and repair using tissue-engineered cartilage strategies.