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Tissue engineering is a promising interdisciplinary scientific field of regenerative medicine. Aiming at the structural and functional restoration of damaged tissues and organs, it possesses a role of significant socioeconomical impact. In the course towards the ultimate goal of artificially constructed natural organs, our knowledge of the elementary constitutive components of living organisms and the intrinsic mechanisms that drive their interactions is greatly enhanced. Bioreactors are valuable tools providing the technological means to investigate fundamental issues for basic research and to improve tissue‐engineering products for clinical applications. They are devices enabling the in vitro simulation of the in vivo biological, physical and mechanical environment of growing tissues. In this review paper, we discuss the general demands defining the design considerations for modern bioreactor systems. These criteria originate from physiological characteristics of the cells and biochemical and mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM). In this context, we present an overview of the various bioreactor systems dedicated to the study of specific functional tissues developed by numerous research groups.

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