title: Is bioengineering a possibility in gastrointestinal disorders?
abstract: The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is responsible for conducting multiple functions including motility, digestion and absorption. In gastrointestinal disorders, some of those functions are weakened or lost. Excision of the diseased segment of the GI tract is a common treatment; however, patients suffer from complications and low quality of life. Functional replacements are therefore needed to restore, repair or replace damaged parts of the tract. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine provide an alternative approach to reconstruct different segments of the GI tract. The GI tract is a complex system with multiple cell types and layers. In previous years, bioengineering approaches focused on identifying an optimal cell source and scaffolding material to engineer GI tissues. In this editorial, we address some of our thoughts with regard to the recent discoveries in bioengineering the GI tract.
authors.affiliation: a Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine , Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston Salem , NC , USA.|b Department of Molecular Medicine and Translational Sciences , Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston Salem , NC , USA.|c Virginia Tech-Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences , Winston Salem , NC , USA.
authors.forename: Khalil N
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Bitar
authors.affiliation: a Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine , Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston Salem , NC , USA.|b Department of Molecular Medicine and Translational Sciences , Wake Forest School of Medicine , Winston Salem , NC , USA.
authors.forename: Elie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zakhem
mesh_terms: D004847:Epithelial Cells; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle; D012038:Regeneration; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
keywords: Bioengineering; cell source; gastrointestinal tract; implantation; scaffolds