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Synthetic Biology and Tissue Engineering: Toward Fabrication of Complex and Smart Cellular Constructs
Author(s) -
Hoffman Tyler,
Antovski Petar,
Tebon Peyton,
Xu Chun,
Ashammakhi Nureddin,
Ahadian Samad,
Morsut Leonardo,
Khademhosseini Ali
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201909882
Subject(s) - synthetic biology , tissue engineering , regenerative medicine , function (biology) , stem cell biology , cell function , biomaterial , nanotechnology , microscale chemistry , artificial cell , biology , stem cell , computer science , computational biology , biochemical engineering , microbiology and biotechnology , cell , materials science , engineering , genetics , embryo , reproductive technology , mathematics education , mathematics , membrane , embryogenesis
Abstract Tissue engineering approaches, with the goals of replacing or recovering damaged or diseased tissues, or of reconstituting tissues in vitro for disease modeling and drug development, have the potential to make significant contributions to medicine. Advances in stem cell biology, biomaterial synthesis and characterization, and microscale technologies have made engineered tissues a reality. However, the classic tools used to build tissues in the lab do not allow for complete control of cell behaviors. More recently, synthetic biology principles have developed robust and versatile approaches to program cells with artificial genetic circuits, where cell behavior and function can be manipulated. At the interface between synthetic biology and tissue engineering, there is space for a new area of investigation where material engineering and cellular engineering complement and sustain each other. In this progress report, synthetic biology principles and how they have been used to engineer cells with potential to dictate cell behavior and function in tissue constructs of the future are briefly described. It is believed that this research area still needs further exploration to fully exploit synthetic biology to make smart and functional cellular constructs for therapeutic and in vitro applications.