Question: @jen Why are the tissues not strong enough to use in humans?

Jennifer Paxton answered on 15 Mar 2013:

Hi @hcosbcy295, I remember you from the chat earlier! The ligaments and tendons we make are about the same strength as the tendons you find in chickens – so a long way from what you would need for a human who is much bigger and stronger. A lot of our work goes into trying to increase the strength of the engineered tissue to make it more like the “real thing”. We can do this by increasing the amount and direction of a protein called collagen, which is what tendons and ligaments are made out of normally. People also look at using different materials to mimic the real tissue, but none of them are good enough…..yet!