Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
Gilson Khang
DepartmentofBIN Fusion Technology & Departmentof Polymer-Nano Science and
Technology, Chunbuk NationalUniversity, 664-14,Dukjin,Jeonju561-756,Korea
gskhang@jbnu.ac.kr
Ithasbeenrecognizedthatregenerativemedicineandtissueengi-
neering offer an alternative technique to whole-organ and tissue
transplantation for diseased, failed, or malfunctioning organs. In
order to reconstitute a new tissue by regenerative medicine and
tissueengineeringtechniques,threefactors—(1)cellsthataredis-
sociated and harvested from the donor tissue, (2) biomaterials
as scaffold substrates in which cells are attached and cultured,
resulting in the implantation at the desired site of the function-
ing tissue, and (3) growth factors that are promoting and/or pre-
venting cell adhesion, proliferation, migration, and differentiation
for stem cells—are required. Among these three key components,
scaffolds might play a very critical role in regenerative medicine
and tissue engineering. The role of scaffolds is to induce and stim-
ulatethegrowthofcellsseededwithintheporousstructureofthe
scaffolds or of cells migrating from surrounding tissue, eventually
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