title: Skin regeneration scaffolds: a multimodal bottom-up approach.
abstract: Skin wounds are a major social and financial burden. However, current treatments are suboptimal. The gradual comprehension of the finely orchestrated nature of intercellular communication has stimulated scientists to investigate growth factor (GF) or stem cell (SC) incorporation into suitable scaffolds for local delivery into wound beds in an attempt to accelerate healing. This review provides a critical evaluation of the status quo of current research into GF and SC therapy and subsequent future prospects, including benefits and possible long-term dangers associated with their use. Additionally, we stress the importance of a bottom-up approach in scaffold fabrication to enable controlled factor incorporation as well as production of complex scaffold micro- and nanostructures resembling that of natural extracellular matrix.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Nanotechnology and Regenerative Medicine, UCL Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London, UK. e.yildirimer@ucl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Lara
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yildirimer
authors.forename: Nguyen T K
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Thanh
authors.forename: Alexander M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Seifalian
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000379:methods; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D012879:Skin Physiological Phenomena; D017768:Skin, Artificial; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds