The inspiration for writing this monograph came from our desire to highlight important aspects of the knee meniscus as they relate to tissue engineering and outline historical and current advances in the field. Our goal was to create a cohesive, logical, and graphic work that guides the reader through a study of the meniscus through the eyes of a tissue engineer. We hope that undergraduate students, graduate students, and researchers alike will find this information useful as an introductory guide to engineering the meniscus or a reference for future engineering attempts. The first half of the monograph focuses on native characteristics of the knee meniscus including its biochemical makeup, mechanical properties, and the limited ability of the tissue to self-repair. The second half reviews tissue engineering attempts aimed at recreating meniscus biochemistry and mechanics to repair damaged tissue, and highlights important considerations for meniscus tissue engineers. Throughout the cha