Biomimetic scaffolds for tissue engineering through plastic compression

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Tissue engineering, with its aim of restoring function through delivery of living elements and integration in the living tissues has, in the last decade, emerged as a viable alternative method in the repair of tissues. Conventionally, this has relied on the ability of cultured cells to fabricate new tissue around a scaffold. This is carried out by either the deposition of extracellular matrix (e.g. collagen) onto degradable synthetic materials, or the remodelling of native matrices, in three dimensional (3D) culture such as tissue bioreactors. This process has so far been slow and unpredictable due to a limited understanding of how cells work. What is known, however, is that the initial scaffold composition and structure is critical to cell behaviour.