The Role of Bioreactors in Ligament and Tendon Tissue Engineering.
Bioreactors are pivotal to the emerging field of tissue engineering. The formation of neotissue from pluripotent cell lineages potentially offers a source of tissue for clinical use without the significant donor site morbidity associated with many contemporary surgical reconstructive procedures. Modern bioreactor design is becoming increasingly complex to provide a both an expandable source of readily available pluripotent cells and to facilitate their controlled differentiation into a clinically applicable ligament or tendon like neotissue. This review presents the need for such a method, challenges in the processes to engineer neotissue and the current designs and results of modern bioreactors in the pursuit of engineered tendon and ligament.
James
J
Mace
Andy
A
Wheelton
University College London Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculoskeletal Science, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, London, HA7 4LP, UK. wasimkhan@doctors.org.uk.
Wasim S
WS
Khan
Sanj
S
Anand
D019149:Bioreactors; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D006801:Humans; D008022:Ligaments; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology; D013710:Tendons; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*