Tissue Engineering – The Gateway to Regenerative Medicine

Autor: Epifania Bono, Stephanie H. Mathes, Nicola Franscini, ursula Graf-Hausner
Jazyk: German<br />English<br />French
Rok vydání: 2010
Předmět:
Zdroj: CHIMIA, Vol 64, Iss 11 (2010)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 0009-4293
2673-2424
DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2010.808
Popis: Tissue Engineering as an emerging biotechnology sector aims at the in vitro regeneration of diseased tissues and promises to profoundly change medical practice, offering the possibility of regenerating tissues and organs instead of just repairing them (regenerative medicine). Improved healing processes and a higher quality of life are the expected results. This article gives an overview of different technologies for regenerative medicine and presents results of our own current applied research and development. A recent project was successfully closed with the development of a natural biomaterial for soft tissue oral defects. The establishment of an in vitro bioreactor system enabled us to simulate the mechanical and biological environment in a healing wound and to investigate the suitability of different implant materials for the oral tissue regeneration. Moreover, focusing the attention on an alternative method for the intervertebral disc (IVD) regeneration, we established a new tissue engineered approach, based on the three-dimensional (3D) culture of autologous human IVD cells into a polyurethane (PU)-fibrin composite. IVD cells were able to proliferate and, thanks to the 3D conditions, to differentiate expressing the typical native tissue markers. The development of an automated platform was the goal of an additional project, to standardize the cell culture technology, increase the bio-safety and reduce the production costs, moving tissue engineering nearer to clinical application.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals