the presence of a biological gel such as a fibrin gel to generate a cartilage matrix that firmly bonds together two adjacent cartilage pieces a bonding composition containing the isolated chondrocytes mixed with the biological gel is applied to a surface of one of the cartilage pieces and the surface is contacted with the other cartilage piece in a different order of steps the two cartilage pieces are held in apposition and gaps at the interface are filled with the bonding composition in another method either or both of the cartilage pieces are first incubated with the isolated chondrocytes the biological gel is then applied and the cartilage pieces are held together alternatively after incubating with isolated chondrocytes the biological gel can be applied to fill gaps at the interface between cartilage pieces held in apposition one or both of the cartilage pieces can be depleted of endogenous chondrocytes before bonding and the cartilage pieces can be articular cartilage fibrocartilage or growth cartilage a cartilage implant is formed by incubating isolated chondrocytes with a cartilage piece and applying the biological gel to the incubated cartilage piece in repairing defective articular cartilage in a mammal one of the pieces to be bonded is the defective cartilage and the other piece is the cartilage implant a meniscal tear in fibrocartilage is another cartilage defect that can be repaired application_number US 18237998 A description the methods of the invention are useful for bonding two or more cartilage pieces in one of these methods one first obtains a bonding composition comprising isolated chondrocytes mixed with a biological gel e g about 10 5 to 10 7 cells per.