TISSUE ENGINEERING - A REVIEW

Abstract

Tissue engineering is defined as the zn vitro or in vivo creation or regeneration of differentiated tissue for the clinical replacement ofa compromised body structure. The ultimate goal of tissue engineering is to reconstruct an organ by taking advantage of recent progress in molecular biology (i.e., mechanisms controlling cell differentiation and gene transfer), materials science (development of “smart” and bioresorbable polymers), and surgical techniques. Tissue engineering is not so much a science in the traditional sense, but an amalgam of technologies from disparate fields that are grouped such that clinically relevant tissue replacement therapies may result.