Patent ID: 8017394

Claim:
An in vitro method for producing cartilage tissue characterized by a random organization of cells, the method comprising: (a) isolating a population of chondrocytes from donor cartilage tissue; then (b) expanding the population of cartilage chondrocytes in an expansion medium on a substrate comprising polystyrene and hyaluronic acid covalently bound to each other to yield expanded chondrocytes, wherein the expansion conditions are effective to prevent attachment of a majority of the chondrocytes to the substrate; then (c) seeding a plurality of expanded chondrocytes in a tissue production medium on a porous polycarbonate substrate having a plurality of pores therethrough, the pores having an inner diameter between about 1 micron and about 12 microns; and then (d) culturing the expanded chondrocytes on the porous polycarbonate substrate for a period of time sufficient for the chondrocytes to produce extracellular matrix, thereby producing in vitro a cultured cartilage tissue characterized by a random organization of cells.