Summary
Summary Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-) has become one of the most widely utilized mediators to promote cartilage growth in tissue engineering (TE) applications. Conventionally, for in vitro culture phases, TGF- is supplemented in the culture medium with the expectation that it will readily diffuse into tissues and promote the biosynthesis of a healthy cartilage ECM. However, a growing body of evidence brings to light a central paradox with this conventional TGF- delivery strategy: physiologic TGF- doses exhibit limited penetration into the tissue, giving rise to undesirable non-uni