title: Gene transfer strategies in tissue engineering.
abstract: Aiming for regeneration of severed or lost parts of the body, the combined application of gene therapy and tissue engineering has received much attention by regenerative medicine. Techniques of molecular biology can enhance the regenerative potential of a biomaterial by co-delivery of therapeutic genes, and several different strategies have been used to achieve that goal. Possibilities for application are many-fold and have been investigated to regenerate tissues such as skin, cartilage, bone, nerve, liver, pancreas and blood vessels. This review discusses advantages and problems encountered with the different gene delivery strategies as far as they relate to tissue engineering, analyses the positive aspects of polymeric gene delivery from matrices and discusses advances and future challenges of gene transfer strategies in selected tissues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plastic and Hand Surgery, University of Erlangen Medical Center, Krankenhausstrasse 12, 91054 Erlangen, Germany.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bleiziffer
authors.forename: Elof
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Raymund E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Horch
authors.forename: Ulrich
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kneser
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005544:Forecasting; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D005822:Genetic Vectors; D006801:Humans; D044968:Regenerative Medicine / Q000379:methods; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*