Tendon and Ligament Tissue Engineering

Ligaments and tendons are strong connective tissues that connect movable joints or hard tissues to provide stability and/or locomotion of human body. The ligament and tendon of craniofacial and oral region are susceptible to degeneration, traumatic injury, or oncologic resection. Minimal functional healing of ligament/tendon tissues occurs upon damage. Even if spontaneous repair takes place, scar tissues are formed, and are morphologically, biochemically, and biomechanically inferior to healthy tissues. Current treatment options often result in suboptimal functions that lead to patient morbidity and diminished quality of life. Novel regenerative strategies using stem cells and multi-disciplinary approaches are attractive solutions to improve the functions of injured tissues. This chapter discusses researching efforts in tendon and ligament tissue engineering by examining key approaches with cellular entities, inductive biochemical factors, scaffolds, biomechanical stimulation, and genetic modification. Current success of ligament/tendon regeneration in animals and human will be highlighted in the end of the chapter.