Frontiers in Bioscience1.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anterior_cruciate_ligamentWikipedia says articular ligaments are most commonly referred to.

http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/PATIENTCARE/healthcare_services/orthopaedics/joint/ligament_injuries_to_knee/Pages/index.aspxThis site explains that the ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament) is one of most common ligaments to be injured

http://medicalcenter.osu.edu/greystone/images/ei_0277.gifPicture of left knee from behind - anatomy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anterior_cruciate_ligament_reconstructionGives the procedure for replacing an Anterior Cruciate ligament. Mentions two types of graft:

Allograft – From Donor

Autograft - From patient’s body

http://www.coe.pku.edu.cn/tpic/201072115415651.pdf

Says the Mesoenchymal stem cells are a better source of cells than ACL and MCL fibroblasts.

http://wings.buffalo.edu/academic/department/eng/mae/courses/417-517/Orthopaedic%20Biomechanics/Lecture%203u.pdfCombined with the slide on ligaments from the lecture, this link confirms the cells in ligaments are fibroblasts.

Composition of ligament from page 6 is:to be discussed tomorrow

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=A40OI8cfasYC&pg=PA521&lpg=PA521&dq=%22Anterior+cruciate+ligament+constructs+fabricated+from+human+mesenchymal+stem+cells+in+a+collagen+type+I+hydrogel%22&source=bl&ots=oC5B4KCcZq&sig=O4zKZXeysdTFSNhfnLRtA1Fa2M8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=JMSMUuXrJvCZ0QXuk4GYAQ&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Anterior%20cruciate%20ligament%20constructs%20fabricated%20from%20human%20mesenchymal%20stem%20cells&f=false P505MSCs produce more collagen per cell.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16236634Abstract suggests that

1. We take human MSC cells and "fabricate an ACL construct in vitro" (Batch)

2. Put them on collagen hydrogel with some kind of mineral cylinder to act as a bone, wait for a while, so they and the gel can attach to the bone. (Batch)

3. Then mechanically stretch them. (Batch cells, continuous nutrients and oxygen).

http://www.swetswise.com.ezproxye.bham.ac.uk/FullTextProxy/swproxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.liebertonline.com%2Fdoi%2Fpdf%2F10.1089%2Ften.teb.2011.0465&ts=1384961187751&cs=3155515037&userName=8080910.ipdirect&emCondId=1244868&articleID=166735094&yevoID=99036740&titleID=509279&remoteAddr=147.188.128.74&hostType=PRO 2D and 3D mech stretching

This source states that at less than 1 Hz of load the cells align parallel to the direction of load. At 1 Hz or more they arrange themselves perpendicular to maintain “stress/strain homeostasis”. So to limit strain on the system.

http://pre.aps.org.ezproxyd.bham.ac.uk/pdf/PRE/v80/i6/e060901

Is meant to back this up.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16236634

Abstract says cyclic stretching at 1 Hz was applied for 2 weeks, 8 hours a day.

So does cell reproduction happen in the MSC phase or the fibro blast phase?

http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/pages/basics2.aspx

This source says that stem cells can divide and renew themselves over a long time.

http://elib.fk.uwks.ac.id/asset/archieve/e-book/BEDAH%20-%20SURGERY/Walsh_Repair%20and%20Regeneration%20of%20Ligaments%20Tendons%20and%20Joint%20Capsule.pdf

Page 281 states repair and regeneration are two separate things. Regeneration “mimics embryonic development”. For most “soft tissues”, there is a “race” between repair and regeneration. The “fibrotic repair response” results in scar tissue that is not as satisfactory as the original.

How do the MSC cells differentiate into fibro-blasts?

How many cells do we need to start with?

Work backwards from how many needed to produce.

What nutrients are needed for each type of cells?