Stem Cell-based Composite Tissue Constructs for Regenerative Medicine

Abstract

A major task of contemporary medicine and dentistry is restoration of human tissues and organs lost to diseases and trauma. A decade-long intense effort in tissue engineering has provided the proof of concept for cell-based replacement of a number of individual tissues such as the skin, cartilage, and bone. Recent work in stem cell-based in vivo restoration of multiple tissue phenotypes by composite tissue constructs such as osteochondral and fibro-osseous grafts has demonstrated probable clues for bioengineered replacement of complex anatomical structures consisting of multiple cell lineages such as the synovial joint condyle, tendon-bone complex, bone-ligament junction, and the periodontium. Of greater significance is a tangible contribution by current attempts to restore the structure and function of multitissue structures using cell-based composite tissue constructs to the understanding of ultimate biological restoration of complex organs such as the kidney or liver. The present review focuses on recent advances in stem cell-based composite tissue constructs and attempts to outline challenges for the manipulation of stem cells in tailored biomaterials in alignment with approaches potentially utilizable in regenerative medicine of human tissues and organs. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Department(s)

Materials Science and Engineering

Keywords and Phrases

Biomaterials; Gene Therapy; Regenerative Medicine; Stem Cells; Tissue Engineering; Wound Healing

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

0006-3592

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2005 John Wiley & Sons, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 May 2005

Link to Full Text

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