Tissue engineering in surgery.
The demands for repair and renewal of worn out or injured human tissue continue to increase and it is now apparent that this demand cannot be met from human donors. A partial solution may be found in living related and trans-species transplantation but these approaches invoke the problems of disease transfer and ethical dilemmas. Tissue engineering is a new technology that seeks to meet these increasing demands by utilising novel cell culture methods in vitro to provide tissue replacements in vivo. This article reviews the current state of tissue engineering and its potential for use in surgery.
Garner
J P
JP
Biomedical Sciences, Dstl Porton Down, Salisbury SP4 0JQ.
D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D019736:Prostheses and Implants; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D016378:Tissue Transplantation