Bioengineering Human Scaffold-free Cartilage Constructs Using Paediatric Auricular Tissue

Currently, patients with external ear deformities rely on hyaline cartilage grafts or silicone prosthesis to provide them with adequate external ear reconstruction. Scaffold-free auricular tissue engineering provides a means of creating patient specific cartilage constructs solely using their own cells, ensuring biocompatibility, long term stability, and reduced morbidity. Here, we have developed a simple method for generating scaffold-free auricular constructs using paediatric auricular cartilage remnants. High cell density micromass cultures treated with chondrogenic medium for prolonged periods result in mechanically stable cartilage constructs resembling native paediatric auricular cartilage mechanically, histologically, immunohistochemically, and biochemically.