Biomimetic approaches in tissue engineering

Abstract

Tissue engineering aims to direct regeneration or repair of damaged tissue through the use of cells, biomaterials, and bioactive signals. During the last several decades, many tissue engineering products have been in clinical use for treating patients suering from tissue loss or dysfunction in skin, bone, or cartilage, and increasing numbers of clinical trials are currently waiting for approval and commercialization to treat more challenging diseases in nerves and pancreatic tissue (Place et al., 2009). Previously developed tissue engineering products include biomaterial derived from natural as well as synthetic origins, growth factors stimulating tissue morphogenesis, dierentiated or progenitor cells, or combinations of these. In particular, for full recovery of biological function of engineered tissues, the strategy of implanting a combination of biomaterials, cells, and growth factors together has been considered the most feasible compared to separate applications of the individual components (Huebsch and Mooney, 2009). However, this strategy has oen failed due to lack or absence of an ideal biomaterial that is able to actively control the many functions of native cellular microenvironments.