title: Tissue engineering: current and future approaches to ocular surface reconstruction.
abstract: Although cells have been cultured outside the body for many years, research has only recently begun to develop complex three-dimensional tissue constructs that will, ideally, mature into fully functional tissues and organs. Tissue engineering is an emerging field in the area of biotechnology that combines the principles and methods of life sciences with those of engineering for the purpose of regenerating, repairing, or replacing diseased tissues. In this review, we describe the recent advances and current development of tissue engineering approaches as related to the ocular surface system, which comprises the three main integrated tissue units: conjunctiva, cornea and lacrimal glands.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, Viterbi School of Engineering, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90033, USA.
authors.forename: Shivaram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Selvam
authors.forename: Padmaja B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Samuel C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Yiu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015352:Dry Eye Syndromes / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D007766:Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases / Q000601:surgery*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D016896:Treatment Outcome