Implants for repairing tissue defects, such as cartilage tissue defects, andmethods of their preparation and use are disclosed. A mold of a tissue defect isprepared by pressing upon the defect a substrate having shape memory, such asaluminum foil. The mold, which has contours substantially conforming to thoseof the defect, is removed from the defect, and tissue particles are added to themold ex vivo. A biological carrier such as biocompatible glue is also added tothe mold. The combination of tissue particles and the biological carrier therebyform an implant, which retains its shape after separation from the mold. The implantcan be transferred to the tissue defect, with contours of the mold matching correspondingcontours of the defect.
