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Engineering the extracellular matrix for clinical applications: Endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm
Author(s) -
Williams Miguel L.,
Bhatia Sujata K.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
biotechnology journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.144
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1860-7314
pISSN - 1860-6768
DOI - 10.1002/biot.201300120
Subject(s) - endoderm , ectoderm , mesoderm , extracellular matrix , tissue engineering , microbiology and biotechnology , regenerative medicine , scaffold , regeneration (biology) , crosstalk , stem cell , cellular differentiation , biology , embryonic stem cell , biomedical engineering , embryogenesis , medicine , engineering , embryo , biochemistry , electronic engineering , gene
Tissue engineering is rapidly progressing from a research‐based discipline to clinical applications. Emerging technologies could be utilized to develop therapeutics for a wide range of diseases, but many are contingent on a cell scaffold that can produce proper tissue ultrastructure. The extracellular matrix, which a cell scaffold simulates, is not merely a foundation for tissue growth but a dynamic participant in cellular crosstalk and organ homeostasis. Cells change their growth rates, recruitment, and differentiation in response to the composition, modulus, and patterning of the substrate on which they reside. Cell scaffolds can regulate these factors through precision design, functionalization, and application. The ideal therapy would utilize highly specialized cell scaffolds to best mimic the tissue of interest. This paper discusses advantages and challenges of optimized cell scaffold design in the endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm for clinical applications in tracheal transplant, cardiac regeneration, and skin grafts, respectively.