Figure 1.

Study Schematic. Two different cellular self‐organization strategies are employed in this study. The first involves the self‐organization of 3 × 10⁶ bMSCs within a nonadherent hydrogel well. The second uses 1 × 10³ early‐cartilage microtissues, each containing 3 × 10³ MSCs, as biological building blocks. A study timeline is also provided that indicates the weekly endpoints used to map tissue maturation. In one arm of the study, a 4 h chondroitinase‐ABC (cABC) treatment was undertaken on day 14. Finally, a schematic representation of the analytical techniques employed to determine the quality of the self‐organized cartilages generated within this study is provided. Collectively, this work aims to provide a comprehensive timeline for tissue growth and maturation of self‐organized cartilages, as well as determining the effect enzymatic treatment has on the quality of cartilage macrotissues bioassembled using single cells or cartilage microtissues as biological building blocks.