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| Scanning electron microscopic image of a synthetic absorbable suture material.
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Tissue engineering holds great promise for replacing compromised or lost tissue and organ functions, and offers invaluable strategies to the recreation of tissues that may be used as model systems for basic research or drug testing. Researchers exploit multidisciplinary strategies derived from materials science, cell biology, biochemistry, biomechanics, and biophysics to recreate and analyze tissue dynamics and homeostasis of musculoskeletal tissues, heart valves, blood vessels, and tumors.
To better understand deregulation of physiological processes involved in the development and therapy of disease, molecular, cellular, and tissue functions are modulated by soluble and insoluble factors and physical cues. Polymeric scaffolds are explored to recreate certain functionalities of the extracellular matrix surrounding cells in the body (e.g., growth factor release, presentation of cell adhesion moieties), and cell and tissue functions are investigated in response to externally and internally applied forces. For example, the role of mechanical stimuli in chondrocyte matrix assembly has been elucidated, but these forces may also be implicated in the regulation of heart valve development, blood vessel functions, and tumor biology.
