Tissue Engineering – The Gateway to Regenerative Medicine

Abstract

Tissue engineering as an emerging biotechnology sector aims at the in vitro regeneration of diseased tissues and promises to profoundly change medical practice, offering the possibility of regenerating tissues and organs instead of just repairing them (regenerative medicine). Improved healing processes and a higher quality of life are the expected results. This article gives an overview of different technologies for regenerative medicine and presents results of our own current applied research and development. A recent project was successfully closed with the development of a natural biomaterial for soft tissue oral defects. The establishment of an in vitro bioreactor system enabled us to simulate the mechanical and biological environment in a healing wound and to investigate the suitability of different implant materials for the oral tissue regeneration. Moreover, focusing the attention on an alternative method for the intervertebral disc (IVD) regeneration, we established a new tissue engineered approach, based on the three-dimensional (3D) culture of autologous human IVD cells into a polyurethane (PU)-fibrin composite. IVD cells were able to proliferate and, thanks to the 3D conditions, to differentiate expressing the typical native tissue markers. The development of an automated platform was the goal of an additional project, to standardize the cell culture technology, increase the bio-safety and reduce the production costs, moving tissue engineering nearer to clinical application.

Biological characteristics of adult degenerative nucleus pulposus cells in a three‐dimensional microcarrier stirring culture system

“…11 It is thought that the development of the disc degeneration may closely relate to matrix synthesis and disorders in metabolic decomposition. 5 Therefore, promoting the NP cell functions may delay or even reverse the progress of intervertebral disc degeneration.…”

“…5 The morphology, structure, and function of damaged intervertebral discs may be recovered perpetually through re-activate intervertebral disc tissues. 12 Thus, the anatomic reconstruction of the degenerative intervertebral disc(s) can prevent the excessive stress and reduce adjacent disc degeneration.…”

“…4 The NP is the core structure of intervertebral discs; it expresses proteoglycans and collagens to maintain the structural and functional integrity of the extracellular matrix (ECM). 5 It is widely accepted that degeneration of NP cells plays a key role in intervertebral disc degeneration. 2 Since NP cells are highly differentiated cells and extremely inactive in cells division, 6 it remains a major problem in engineering intervertebral disc tissue to obtain enough active NP cells with normal physiologic functions.…”

Surface Chemistry at Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences

“…As cell adhesion is mediated by a protein layer on the surface of the material, cell attachment can be directly modulated by the ability to bind endogenous proteins. [9] Surface polarity, hydrophobicity and topography are the main factors triggering the strength of the association of the biological system to the implant material. [10] Another bottom-up approach to surface functionalization is to use Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) methods to generate molecular and nanoparticle monolayers at air-water interfaces, which can be transferred on various substrates.…”

Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells: a Promising Therapeutic Resource for Cell-Based Regenerative Therapy

“…Regenerative medicine is a recently developed multidisciplinary discipline aimed to replace or restore normal function of cells, tissues, and organs that are damaged by disease [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]. Unlike conventional surgical therapies, which, although including some element of reconstruction, remain predominantly ablative for most diseases, regenerative medicine incorporates the fields of tissue engineering, cell biology, nuclear transfer and materials science to allow a truly regenerative approach, by reconstructing, repairing, or replacing missing or damaged tissue to a state as close as possible to its native architecture and function.…”