Tissue Engineering: Hope for the Future of Medicine
 |
| Tissue Engineering |
Tissue engineering holds promise to revolutionize the field of regenerative medicine. Through tissue engineering, injured or diseased tissues can be replaced or regenerated using the body's own cells. This advanced field combines the principles of engineering and life sciences toward developing biological substitutes that restore, maintain, or improve tissue function.
What is Tissue Engineering?
Tissue engineering is an interdisciplinary field that applies principles of
engineering and life sciences toward developing biological substitutes that
restore or maintain tissue function. The goal of tissue engineering is to
generate functional tissues by combining cells, engineering and materials
methods, and suitable biochemical and physicochemical factors. Cells are
commonly combined with scaffolds made of natural or synthetic biomaterials that
mimic the extracellular matrix where cells reside. The scaffolds provide
structural support and signaling cues to encourage regrowth of healthy Tissue
Engineering. With the help of bioreactors that precisely control
conditions, engineered tissues are matured outside the body before
implantation.
Applications of Tissue Engineering
Tissue engineering has various applications that could help treat many medical
conditions. Some important areas where tissue engineering is being applied
include:
Skin grafts: Tissue-engineered skin substitutes are already widely used to
treat burn injuries and chronic skin ulcers. These advanced grafts contain skin
cells and biological materials that promote regeneration of healthy skin.
Bone grafting: Engineered bone grafts using bone marrow-derived stem cells and
porous scaffolds are being developed and tested to treat fractures that fail to
heal on their own. Tissue-engineered bone grafts can stimulate improved bone
growth.
Cartilage replacement: Cartilage injuries and arthritis affect millions but
cartilage has limited healing ability. Researchers are engineering cartilage
tissue using chondrocytes and scaffolds, with hopes for treating damaged
joints.
Blood vessels: The ability to bioengineer blood vessels could help treat
vascular diseases. Researchers are seeding vascular cells onto tubular polymer
scaffolds to regenerate small-diameter blood vessels.
Myocardial repair: Heart attacks destroy heart muscle, leading to heart failure
if severe damage occurs. Efforts involve engineering cardiac patches seeded
with heart muscle cells for surgical implantation and repair.
Nerve regeneration: Peripheral nerve injuries affect mobility and functions.
Tissue engineers are developing nerve guidance conduits made of natural or
synthetic materials with the goal of bridging nerve defects and promoting
regeneration.
Organs and other tissues: Long-term, tissue engineering could potentially help
engineer organs by combining various cells, materials, and signals, addressing
the shortage of organs available for transplant. Scientists are working on
engineering liver, kidney, and lung tissues.
Comments
Post a Comment