Figure 2.

Plate layout for the setup of the co-culture model (created using Biorender.com). For each patient, four experimental plates (day 0, day 7, day 14 and day 21) were seeded with both early OA and late-OA BM-MSCs (6 wells each). BM-MSCs were osteogenically differentiated, and then chondrocyte-seeded agarose scaffolds in transwell inserts were added to the experimental plates and to the chondrocyte-only control plate. Inserts containing agarose alone, with no chondrocytes, were added to the no cells control plate. Experimental plates were set up per patient, whereas the chondrocyte only and no cell control plates were set up per batch.