###### Abstract  
The present Special Issue comprises a collection of articles addressing the many ways in which extracellular matrix (ECM), or its components parts, can be used in regenerative medicine applications. ECM is a dynamic structure, composed of a three-dimensional architecture of fibrous proteins, proteoglycans, and glycosaminoglycans, synthesized by the resident cells. Consequently, ECM can be considered as nature's ideal biologic scaffold material. The articles in this Special Issue cover a range of topics from the use of ECM components to manufacture scaffold materials, understanding how changes in ECM composition can lead to the development of disease, and how decellularization techniques can be used to develop tissue-derived ECM scaffolds for whole organ regeneration and wound repair. This editorial briefly summarizes the most interesting aspects of these articles. extracellular matrix; scaffold; wound healing; regenerative medicine; tissue engineering; decellularization +
Footnote †: journal: Medical Imaging  
**Citation:** [PERSON], [PERSON] Special Issue: Application of Extracellular Matrix in Regenerative Medicine. _Appl. Sci._**2021**, _11_, 3262. [[https://doi.org/10.3390/app11073262](https://doi.org/10.3390/app11073262)]([https://doi.org/10.3390/app11073262](https://doi.org/10.3390/app11073262))  
Received: 10 March 2021  
Accepted: 19 March 2021  
Published: 6 April 2021  
**Publisher's Note:** MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. **Cognition:** 02021 by the author. Licenses MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([[https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)]([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)) 4.0/). Regenerative medicine is an interdisciplinary field that uses the principles of bioengineering, developmental biology, immunology, and stem cell biology to restore diseased and injured tissues and whole organs. The field of regenerative medicine encompasses a number of strategies, but these can broadly be grouped into approaches using scaffolds, cells, soluble factors or various combinations thereof. The focus of this Special Issue is on scaffolds and the use extracellular matrix (ECM) and its components in the development of biologic scaffolds. The primary role of a scaffold is to provide structural support and a suitable environment to modulate cell attachment and cell behavior. In addition to their structural role, biologic scaffolds also have a microenvironmental role delivering bioactive molecules such as growth factors and cytokines, functional molecules such as antimicrobial or anti-inflammatory drugs, as well as morphogenic cues from the structural ECM components such as collagen, laminin, and fibronectin. The articles in the present issue cover a range of topics including the use ECM components to manufacture biologic scaffold materials, understanding how changes in ECM composition can lead to the development of disease, and how decellularization techniques can be used to develop tissue-derived ECM scaffolds for whole organ regeneration and wound repair. All tissues and organs contain a mixture of cells and structural and functional molecules. These structural and functional molecules form on an organized network called ECM. ECM not only provides structure support to the tissues and organs but also regulates many cellular processes including proliferation, migration, differentiation, helping to define the function of each tissue and organ. In fact, the ECM is responsible for, and responsive to, the continually changing mechanical, metabolic, and functional needs of these cells. Thus, ECM plays a vital role in response to injury and disease where the mechanical and physiological states of tissues are altered.