Tissue engineering: opportunity and challenge in the 21st century
- VernacularTitle:组织工程学——21世纪面临的机遇与挑战
- Author:
Guoxian PEI
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Tissue engineering;
Seed cells;
Biomaterials;
Tissue construction
- From:
Chinese Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma
2002;0(01):-
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
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Abstract:
Tissue engineering has been one of the most challenging and rapidly developing frontier fields of science in the recent 20 years. Being referred to as “a medical revolution of far-reaching significance”, “a new epoch of regenerative medicine”, it signals the coming of a period of reproduction of regenerative tissue and organs. It has drawn intensive attention and support from medical circles and governments all over the world because of its advantages in trauma repair, functional reconstruction, life saving and improving quality of life, as well as its huge social and economic values. Products of tissue engineered skin and cartilage with approval of the American FDA have been available. Hundreds of tissue engineering companies and research centers have been set up both abroad and at home. It is now possible to construct tissue-engineered tissues. Moreover, projects of complex organ construction by means of tissue engineering is being carried out vigorously in the world. Some tissue-engineered tissues have been put into trial use in clinic and resulted in encouraging outcome. All these forecast a bright and promising prospect for tissue engineering. As a new branch of science and technology that involves multiple specialties and fields, however, it is still at its initial stage. Many fundamental scientific problems are to be explored, and many technical difficulties to be overcome. Hope and difficulty coexist; opportunity and challenge stand side by side. We should seize the opportunity and meet the challenge with our creative and strenuous efforts to make tissue engineering benefit human beings as early and much as possible.
