title: Regeneration and bioengineering of transplantable abdominal organs: current status and future challenges.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The most critical issue to organ transplantation is the identification of new sources of organs. The present manuscript illustrates the state-of-the-art regenerative medicine (RM) investigations aiming to manufacturing abdominal organs for transplant purposes.
  
  
  METHODS
  This manuscript focuses on research in the bioengineering and regeneration of kidneys, insulin-producing cells, livers and small bowel. The main technology currently under development exploits the seeding of cells on supporting scaffolding material. Despite favorable preliminary results obtained with relatively simple, hollow organs, when more complex organs are considered, the scenario changes dramatically. Investigations are still in early stages, and clinical translation is not yet foreseeable based on current knowledge and information. Obstacles are numerous but we believe the critical factor hampering success is lack of in-depth understanding of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell-ECM interactions, as well as the mechanisms with which organs develop in utero.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The success of RM to generate transplantable abdominal organs relies heavily on progress in (stem) cell therapies, developmental and ECM biology, and in the thorough understanding of the intricate relationship and interplay between cells and the ECM. This will require enormous investments in financial and medical resources, which ideally should be embarked upon by governments, the private sector and academia.
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Winston Salem, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Christina L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Booth
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sanders
authors.forename: Paurush
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Babbar
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bergman
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Soker
authors.forename: Sivanandane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sittadjody
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salvatori
authors.forename: Yousef
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Al-Shraideh
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Stratta
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Orlando
mesh_terms: D000005:Abdomen; D057005:Bioengineering; D006801:Humans; D016377:Organ Transplantation; D012038:Regeneration