title: Tissue Engineered Airways: A Prospects Article.
abstract: An ideal tracheal scaffold must withstand luminal collapse yet be flexible, have a sufficient degree of porosity to permit vascular and cellular ingrowth, but also be airtight and must facilitate growth of functional airway epithelium to avoid infection and aid in mucocilliary clearance. Finally, the scaffold must also be biocompatible to avoid implant rejection. Over the last 40 years, efforts to design and manufacture the airway have been undertaken worldwide but success has been limited and far apart. As a result, tracheal resection with primary repair remains the Gold Standard of care for patients presenting with airway disorders and malignancies. However, the maximum resectable length of the trachea is restricted to 30% of the total length in children or 50% in adults. Attempts to provide autologous grafts for human application have also been disappointing for a host of different reasons, including lack of implant integration, insufficient donor organs, and poor mechanical strength resulting in an unmet clinical need. The two main approaches researchers have taken to address this issue have been the development of synthetic scaffolds and the use of decellularized organs. To date, a number of different decellularization techniques and a variety of materials, including polyglycolic acid (PGA) and nanocomposite polymers have been explored. The findings thus far have shown great promise, however, there remain a significant number of caveats accompanying each approach. That being said, the possibilities presented by these two approaches could be combined to produce a highly successful, clinically viable hybrid scaffold. This article aims to highlight advances in airway tissue engineering and provide an overview of areas to explore and utilize in accomplishing the aim of developing an ideal tracheal prosthesis. J. Cell. Biochem. 117: 1497-1505, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors: University College London, Gower Street London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
authors: Stephanie L
authors: SL
authors: Bogan
authors: University College London, Gower Street London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
authors: Gui Zhen
authors: GZ
authors: Teoh
authors: University College London, Gower Street London WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.|Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital, London WC1X 8DA, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
authors: Martin A
authors: MA
authors: Birchall
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001187:Artificial Organs; D006801:Humans; D012137:Respiratory System; D012142:Respiratory Tract Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000628:therapy; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
keywords: AIRWAY; HYBRID SCAFFOLDS; REGENERATIVE MEDICINE; STEM CELLS; TISSUE ENGINEERING