2.07 – Tissue Engineering

TL;DR: Cardiac tissue engineering, in particular, involving the growth of cardiomyocytes into a complex and thick cardiac tissue, is a growing field, described in detail here.

Abstract: Tissue engineering holds promise in addressing donor organ shortage by combining the knowledge in the fields of cell biology, material science, engineering, and surgery to regenerate or replace injured tissues. Cells, biomaterials, and bioreactors are the three components of the standard tissue-engineering paradigm, and the success in creating functional engineered tissues lies in the integration of these components. The selection of cell source, scaffold generate material, and type of bioreactor depends on the specific type of tissue to be engineered. Cells should generally be expandable; this generates interest in the use of stem cells in regenerative medicine. Biomaterials should have the desired physical and biological properties as a support for tissue growth. Bioreactors should provide perfusion and physical stimuli to improve cell viability and tissue functions. Importantly, there have been many small-scale, yet successful, clinical applications of tissue engineering to human patients, including tissue-engineered trachea, bladder, blood vessel, and skin. Cardiac tissue engineering, in particular, involving the growth of cardiomyocytes into a complex and thick cardiac tissue, is a growing field, described in detail here.