TISSUE ENGINEERING: Current State and Prospects

• Published in: Annual review of medicine Vol. 52; no. 1; pp. 443 - 451
• Main Authors: Stock, Ulrich A, Vacanti, Joseph P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Palo Alto, CA 94303-0139 Annual Reviews 01-01-2001; 4139 El Camino Way, P.O. Box 10139 Annual Reviews, Inc; USA
• Subjects: Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Animal cells; autologous cells; biodegradable scaffolds; Biological and medical sciences; Cell cultures. Hybridization. Fusion; Clinical death. Palliative care. Organ gift and preservation; Culture Techniques - methods; Culture Techniques - trends; Forecasting; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Medical sciences; Membranes, Artificial; Molecular and cellular biology; Needs Assessment; organs grown in vitro; Patient Care Team - organization & administration; Research - organization & administration; Tissue and Organ Procurement - methods; Tissue and Organ Procurement - trends; Human; Surgery; Scientific research; Animal; Cell biology; Tissue culture; Adult; Clinical trial; Transplantation; Review; Technique; Experimental study
• ISSN: 0066-4219; 1545-326X
• DOI: 10.1146/annurev.med.52.1.443

Organ shortage and suboptimal prosthetic or biological materials for repair
or replacement of diseased or destroyed human organs and tissues are the main
motivation for increasing research in the emerging field of tissue engineering.
No organ or tissue is excluded from this multidisciplinary research field,
which aims to provide vital tissues with the abilities to function, grow,
repair, and remodel. There are several approaches to tissue engineering,
including the use of cells, scaffolds, and the combination of the two. The most
common approach is biodegradable or resorbable scaffolds configured to the
shape of the new tissue (e.g. a heart valve). This scaffold is seeded with
cells, potentially derived from either biopsies or stem cells. The seeded cells
proliferate, organize, and produce cellular and extracellular matrix. During
this matrix formation, the starter matrix is degraded, resorbed, or
metabolized. First clinical trials using skin or cartilage substitutes are
currently under way. Both the current state of the field and future prospects
are discussed.