title: Engineering craniofacial structures: facing the challenge.
abstract: The human innate regenerative ability is known to be limited by the intensity of the insult together with the availability of progenitor cells, which may cause certain irreparable damage. It is only recently that the paradigm of tissue engineering found its way to the treatment of irreversibly affected body structures with the challenge of reconstructing the lost part. In the current review, we underline recent trials that target engineering of human craniofacial structures, mainly bone, cartilage, and teeth. We analyze the applied engineering strategies relative to the selection of cell types to lay down a specific targeted tissue, together with their association with an escorting scaffold for a particular engineered site, and discuss their necessity to be sustained by growth factors. Challenges and expectations for facial skeletal engineering are discussed in the context of future treatment.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, and Dipartimento di Oncologia, Biologia e Genetica dell'Universita' di Genova, Largo R. Benzi, 10, 16132 Genova, Italy.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Zaky
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cancedda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002356:Cartilage / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005147:Facial Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000502:physiology; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000145:classification; D014070:Tooth / Q000033:anatomy & histology*
chemical_list: D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins