Lessons from developmental biology for regenerative medicine.
The ultimate goal of regenerative medicine is the functional restoration of lost or damaged tissues and organs. Since most tissues in man lack true regenerative properties and instead respond to injury with an inflammatory response and scar tissue formation, regenerative medicine strategies that include combinations of cells, scaffolds, and bioactive molecules to replace injured or missing tissues have been developed. The physical, chemical, and electrical cues that define the microenvironmental niche and the effect of these influences upon cell behavior during development are of interest to developmental biologists, with obvious overlap to the interest of the regenerative medicine field. This manuscript provides an overview of current approaches for tissue restoration being investigated in the field of regenerative medicine and attempts to identify areas of mutual beneficial interest with the field of developmental biology.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Neill J
NJ
Turner
Timothy J
TJ
Keane
Stephen F
SF
Badylak
D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry; D015509:Developmental Biology / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000502:physiology; D044968:Regenerative Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D013234:Stem Cells; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry
D001672:Biocompatible Materials
developmental biology; regenerative medicine; tissue engineering