Starting with a few human cells, tissue engineers simulate the environments that allow cells to develop into viable tissue. The specific procedure varies by company, but it generally involves seeding the selected cells onto some type of matrix, where they are then are provided with, or begin to excrete, the proteins and growth factors necessary for them to grow and multiply. Our company is also developing small-diameter blood vessels, cartilage and even finger joints. The primary motivation behind tissue engineering is the ongoing, dire need for available, safe and transplantable organs and tissues. Every year thousands of people die waiting for hearts, livers, lungs and kidneys simply because there aren't enough transplantable organs to go around.
Tissue engineering has the potential to redefine tissue and organ repair and replacement.
The future holds endless possibilities. We have successfully grown not only cartilage, bone and skin but urinary tract and liver tissue. Tissue engineering will soon address the tremendous number of problems seen by patients who require replacements of skin, bone and other tissues and organs.