The researchers say it is the first time bones have been created in this way, and it is hoped the discovery could be used to treat joint and bone disorders.
The research by Columbia University appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Bioengineer Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic said that although missing bone can be replaced by titanium, 'there is no better substitute for lost tissue than living tissue.
'Although titanium is better than nothing—you need something to help bear loads—real bones also have bone marrow inside that has many important metabolic functions.'
The bone which has been created in the lab is known as the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).
The researchers said the option to engineer anatomically pieces of human bone in this way could potentially transform the ability to carry out reconstruction work, for instance following serious injury or cancer treatment.
Bioengineer David Kaplan at Tufts University's Department of Biomedical Engineering, who had no role in these findings, called the work 'fantastic', while Professor Anthony Hollander, a tissue engineering expert from the University of Bristol, told the BBC: 'One of the major problems facing scientists in this field is how to engineer a piece of bone with the right dimensions - that is critical for some of these bone defects.
'This is a lovely piece of tissue engineering which has produced bone with a high degree of accuracy in terms of shape.'
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