Orthopedic injuries have the potential to be devastating and affect quality of life. Two specific conditions where this is apparent are focal cartilage defects in the knee and disc degeneration/ osteoporosis in the spine. As the diseased tissue microenvironment is drastically different than the healthy microenvironment, we are working to characterize the tissue, which will better inform material design. While there are promising drugs and bioactive molecules that can induce osteogenesis and chondrogenesis, clinical success would benefit from local drug administration, which is currently limited by the lack of appropriate delivery vehicles. To increase device adoption by surgeons, the material should be delivered using existing minimally invasive procedures, such as arthroscopy in the knee. Through the creation of an injectable mechanically robust hydrogel that allows for bioactive molecule delivery, we aim to redefine orthopedic repair.