High intensity focused ultrasound as a tool for tissue engineering: Application to cartilage.

This article promotes the use of High Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) as a tool for affecting the local properties of tissue engineered constructs in vitro. HIFU is a low cost, non-invasive technique used for eliciting focal thermal elevations at variable depths within tissues. HIFU can be used to denature proteins within constructs, leading to decreased permeability and potentially increased local stiffness. Adverse cell viability effects remain restricted to the affected area. The methods described in this article are explored through the scope of articular cartilage tissue engineering and the fabrication of osteochondral constructs, but may be applied to the engineering of a variety of different tissues.