The successful design of a hydrogel for tissue engineering requires a profound understanding of its constituents’ structural and molecular properties, as well as the proper selection of components. If the engineered processes are in line with the procedures that natural materials undergo to achieve the best network structure necessary for the formation of the hydrogel with desired properties, the failure rate of tissue engineering projects will be significantly reduced. In this review, we examine the behavior of proteins as an essential and effective component of hydrogels, and describe the factors that can enhance the protein-based hydrogels’ structure. Furthermore, we outline the fabrication route of protein-based hydrogels from protein microstructure and the selection of appropriate materials according to recent research to growth factors, crucial members of the protein family, and their delivery approaches. Finally, the unmet needs and current challenges in developing the ideal biomaterials for protein-based hydrogels are discussed, and emerging strategies in this area are highlighted.

Cartilage degeneration is among the fundamental reasons behind disability and pain across the globe. Numerous approaches have been employed to treat cartilage diseases. Nevertheless, none have shown acceptable outcomes in the long run. In this regard, the convergence of tissue engineering and microfabrication principles can allow developing more advanced microfluidic technologies, thus offering attractive alternatives to current treatments and traditional constructs used in tissue engineering applications. Herein, the current developments involving microfluidic hydrogel‐based scaffolds, promising structures for cartilage regeneration, ranging from hydrogels with microfluidic channels to hydrogels prepared by the microfluidic devices, that enable therapeutic delivery of cells, drugs, and growth factors, as well as cartilage‐related organ‐on‐chips are reviewed. Thereafter, cartilage anatomy and types of damages, and present treatment options are briefly overviewed. Various hydrogels are introduced, and the advantages of microfluidic hydrogel‐based scaffolds over traditional hydrogels are thoroughly discussed. Furthermore, available technologies for fabricating microfluidic hydrogel‐based scaffolds and microfluidic chips are presented. The preclinical and clinical applications of microfluidic hydrogel‐based scaffolds in cartilage regeneration and the development of cartilage‐related microfluidic chips over time are further explained. The current developments, recent key challenges, and attractive prospects that should be considered so as to develop microfluidic systems in cartilage repair are highlighted.

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