Engineered tissue grafts: A new class of biomaterials for medical use

Recent advances in the stem cell biology, the biomaterials science, and the design of the tissue culture bioreactors, help us address the growing need to find replacements for lost and worn-out human tissues and organs in an entirely new way. Biological equivalents of native tissues are grown in a laboratory using tissue engineering techniques and investigated for their functionality, both in vitro and in animal models. We briefly review the key principles for engineering these advanced, native-like biomaterials capable to take over the lost function of our tissues. We also provide an example of the state of the art approach to the tissue engineering.