Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
population growth. We also discuss future mathematical and computational chal-
lenges and interesting open questions.
1 Introduction
The interdisciplinary field of tissue engineering is emerging as a valuable tool in
the quest for viable clinical solutions to health problems associated with tissue
damage, degeneration and failure. Currently, the most successful surgical
approaches involve the implantation of tissue grafts, or entire replacement organs,
taken from suitable donors. Due in part to greater longevity in society (Palferman
2003
), there is a chronic shortage of donor tissue. For example, in the UK during
2009/2010 552 patients died while awaiting transplants, and at 31 March 2010,
there were approximately 8000 NHS patients registered for organ transplant
(Johnson
2010
). Furthermore, engineered tissues with the correct in vivo properties
have applications in toxicology screening and drug testing. While therapeutic
tissue engineering has the potential to address the issue of donor tissue shortage,
this field remains in its infancy, since tissue growth is exceedingly complex, being
regulated by an enormous variety of processes, from intracellular transduction
pathways to tissue-level mechanics. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial to
the development of reliable methods for engineering viable replacement tissue;
mathematical analyses can provide fundamental insight into these mechanisms. In
addition, collaboration between experimental and theoretical researchers enables
in silico testing of experimental protocols (thereby reducing experimental cost)
and stimulates the generation of model-driven experimentally-testable hypotheses.
In this way, mathematical modelling can provide a key scientific tool with which
to improve tissue engineering approaches.
In this chapter, we review the contribution of mathematical modelling to the
understanding of tissue growth processes. We focus on continuum approaches
which consider the influence of cells' biochemical and biophysical environment on
tissue growth. Before surveying such theoretical analyses (
Sects. 3.1
-
3.3
), it is
instructive to consider the key biological considerations in more detail.
1.1 Tissue Engineering
Broadly speaking, there are two distinct approaches to tissue engineering: in vivo
and in vitro tissue engineering. The latter involves growing replacement tissue in
the laboratory for implantation into patients. A common in vitro method involves
seeding porous scaffolds with cells of the desired tissue type. After a period of
incubation, during which the cells proliferate and colonise the scaffold, the
resulting tissue construct is implanted into a patient. In contrast, in vivo tissue
Search WWH ::
Custom Search