1. Future directions in tissue repair using biomaterials
- Author
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Chiotoroiu Laurențiu Alexandru, Stanciulescu Elena-Luminita, and Grosu-Bularda Andreea
- Subjects
Polymers and Plastics ,business.industry ,Materials Science (miscellaneous) ,Medicine ,Tissue repair ,business ,General Business, Management and Accounting ,General Environmental Science ,Biomedical engineering - Abstract
Complex soft tissue defects are often challenging to approach using conventional surgical reconstructive techniques. Although autologous tissue repair is still the gold standard in reconstructive surgery, there are particular situations when autografts are not available. Human allografts remains an alternative solution, but with considerable drawbacks regarding availability, immunologic reactions and risk of infectious diseases transmission. Synthetic products used in surgical reconstructions are associated with poor long-term outcomes. Tissue engineering developed based on these reconstructive limitations. Recently, biological scaffolds have been introduced as important players in surgical strategies of tissue reconstruction. A large panel of extracellular matrices cultured with different cell populations has been used, and promising results were reported in complex tissue loss repair including bone, muscles, nerves, blood vessels and skin defects. Future research is mandatory to standardize the bioengineered structures, in order to get the best outcome regarding volume restoration, function regaining, vascular integration and long term stability of the reconstruction. We desire to identify the research area which can be successfully applied in our country, based on an interdisciplinary collaboration between medical institutions, molecular biology laboratories and technical research institutes. We consider very useful to promote a strategy for soft tissue repair and immunomodulation using mesenchymal progenitors from different sources (bone marrow, adipose tissue, umbilical cord blood) seeded on solid scaffolds. This approach will increase the multi-institutional partnership, permitting the development of new reconstructive strategies for patients with tissue defects, more accessible for local medical institutions, with an affordable cost and in appropriate timing for regain the quality of life
- Published
- 2018
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