Document Type

Article

Publication Date

Summer 2025

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Course: LS 803 Contemporary Topics Research

Course Instructor: Caitlyn Fuller

Department: Medical Laboratory Sciences and Biotechnology Department, Jefferson College of Health Professionals

Abstract

Tissue engineering is a comprehensive and cutting-edge field that leverages principles from multiple scientific disciplines to assist in regenerative medicine. It is defined by the most basic structure of the human body, the cell. When an injury occurs, cells send signals to initiate wound healing processes. In most cases, the body is equipped to heal wounds on its own; however, there are instances where wounds are too severe and cannot undergo proper regeneration. When this occurs, alternative measures are taken to assist in wound repair. With numerous advancements made over the years, tissue engineering has become an increasingly common method for wound healing. The start of tissue engineering dates back to the 1970s, when researchers attempted to engineer tissue directly from cells. Since then, tissue engineering has taken off and branched into many different subfields. Tissue engineering uses a variety of cell types to produce tissues, such as adult stem cells and human embryonic stem cells. With the production of tissues, researchers have also created organs with the hope for clinical uses, such as transplantations. Due to the ethical issues that arise with these cell types, induced pluripotent stem cells have sparked a new method to regenerate tissues. The applications of tissue engineering range widely from generating scaffolds to 3D printing to regenerating tissues and organs. Regardless of the success the tissue engineering field has received, there are many challenges that researchers continue to face.

Language

English

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