New Innovations in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Exponential growth in the field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine has led to the development of new promising applications in human clinical trials. Hot topics, research advances, and transformative publications that are driving the field forward are highlighted in a comprehensive overview of the field presented in Tissue Engineering, Part B, Reviews, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. publishers http://www.liebertpub.com. The article is available on the Tissue Engineering website http://www.liebertpub.com/ten.

Matthew Fisher, PhD and Robert Mauck, PhD, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, identify four key areas in which the field is progressing. The first main theme, in the area of tissue engineering, focuses on advances in grafts and materials, including human or animal tissue from which the cells are removed and the remaining scaffold is used to regenerate new tissues, as well as scaffolds made of new types of biomaterials. Second, in the field of regenerative medicine, the authors highlight the role of novel scaffolds and various growth and control factors in promoting tissue formation and, for example, bone healing.

Tissue Engineering for Craniofacial Reconstruction
Tissue engineering has emerged as a promising alternative for the reconstitution of lost or damaged organs and tissues.

In the article "Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine: Recent Innovations and the Transition to Translation," http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/ten.teb.2012.0723 the authors identify two additional areas that signal progress in the field: the increasing number of applications advancing into clinical trials; and the growing use of novel types of cells, such as induced pluripotent stem cells.

"Considering the rapid pace of growth and development in regenerative medicine, it is imperative that we fully consider recent advances," says Reviews Co-Editor-in-Chief John P. Fisher, PhD, Professor and Associate Chair, Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD. "Dr. Matthew Fisher and Dr. Robert Mauck have wonderfully reviewed the efforts in the tissue engineering field over the past few years, highlighting advances in biomaterials, cell-based constructs, and translational endeavors."

Tissue Engineering Concepts may be Helped by Cells Derived from Debrided Burn Tissue
Cells from the non-viable tissue remaining after burn injury, which are normally removed to prevent infection, can be a source of mesenchymal cells that may be used for tissue engineering

New Bone Implant Technology For Tissue Engineering On The Anvil
By using techniques normally used to make catalytic converters for cars, researchers at WMG at the University of Warwick are now developing a method to produce synthetic bone for tissue engineering.

UV Light may Sculpt 3-D Particles for Medical Diagnostics, Tissue Engineering
(MIT) Engineers have shown that ultraviolet light can be used to sculpt three-dimensional microparticles, which may have many applications in medical diagnostics and tissue engineering.