Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Tissue engineering along with regenerative medicine can be used to create ‘Scaffolds’ in the human body. These scaffolds are used to support organs and organ systems that may have been damaged after injury or disease. So what is tissue engineering? ‘Tissue engineering is the use of a combination of cells, engineering and materials methods, and suitable biochemical and physico-chemical factors to improve or replace biological functions’. This is most commonly achieved through the use of stem cells. Stem cells are unique types of cells that are undifferentiated. So the main focus of creating these constructs is to be able to safely deliver these stem cells, and create a structure that is physically and mechanically stable so that these stem cells can differentiate. Scaffolds are of great importance in clinical medicine. It is an upcoming field, and usually associated with conditions involving organ disease or failure. It is used to rebuild organs and return normal function.