title: Rapid prototyping in tissue engineering: challenges and potential.
abstract: Tissue engineering aims to produce patient-specific biological substitutes in an attempt to circumvent the limitations of existing clinical treatments for damaged tissue or organs. The main regenerative tissue engineering approach involves transplantation of cells onto scaffolds. The scaffold attempts to mimic the function of the natural extracellular matrix, providing a temporary template for the growth of target tissues. Scaffolds should have suitable architecture and strength to serve their intended function. This paper presents a comprehensive review of the fabrication methods, including conventional, mainly manual, techniques and advanced processing methods such as rapid prototyping (RP) techniques. The potential and challenges of scaffold-based technology are discussed from the perspective of RP technology.
authors.affiliation: Rapid Prototyping Research Laboratory, Design Research Centre, School of Mechanical and Production Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798.
authors.forename: Wai-Yee
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Yeong
authors.forename: Chee-Kai
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Chua
authors.forename: Kah-Fai
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Leong
authors.forename: Margam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chandrasekaran
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D017690:Cell Transplantation; D005109:Extracellular Matrix; D005612:Freeze Drying; D005615:Freezing; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D012038:Regeneration; D013048:Specimen Handling; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials