Tissue restoration, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine

Suh, Hwal

Abstract

Recently, thanks to the rapid progress of new technologies in cell modulation, extracellular matrix fabrication and synthetic polymers mimicking bodily structures, the self-regeneration of bodily defects by host tissue has been considered by many researchers. The conventional science of art in biomaterials has been concerned with restoring damaged tissue using non-biological materials such as metals, ceramics and synthetic polymers. To overcome the limitations of using such non-viable materials, several attempts to construct artificial organs mimicking natural tissue by combining modulated cells with extracellular matrix-hybridized synthetic polymers have produced many worthy results with biologically functioning artificial tissues. The process involved in manufacturing biomaterials mimicking living tissue is generally called tissue engineering. However recently, the extension of knowledge about cell biology and embryology has naturally moved the focus from tissue restoration to tissue regeneration. Especially, embryonic and mesenchymal stem cells are attractive resources due to their potential for the differentiation of various tissue cells in response to signal transduction mediated by cytokines. Although no one knows yet what is the exact factor responsible for a stem cell's ability to differentiate between specific cells to generate specific tissue, what has been agreed is that delivering stem cells into the body provides a strong potential for the regeneration of tissue. In this review, the historical issues and future possibilities involved in medical tissue restoration and tissue regeneration are discussed.