| Popis: |
As the fields of engineering and biology continue to merge, the in vitro fabrication of more complex biological structures is becoming a reality. Advancements in additive manufacturing techniques include the development of instrumentation platforms that can handle and dispense living cells with a remarkable degree of spatial control. Although there are inherent challenges and limitations—cell supply, building and supporting larger-scale tissues, and achieving functionally relevant architecture in complex tissues—these exist with any tissue-engineering strategy and are not unique to automated three-dimensional fabrication. The kidney is an exquisitely complex organ with an intricate architecture composed of more than 20 unique and highly specialized cell types, several of which to date have not been propagated outside the adult body. Yet, during development, the kidney arises from relatively few cell types from the intermediate mesoderm. Thus, tissue engineering approaches that combine spatially directed tissue fabrication with multipotent renal stem cells are particularly compelling. This chapter will cover the limited history of bioprinting for tissue engineering and will offer a perspective on the possibilities of engineering the kidney with additive manufacturing approaches. |
