Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA
Address for correspondence: Jean D. Sipe, Center for Scientific Review, National Institutes of Health, 6701 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda, MD 20814. Voice: 301-435-1743; fax: 301-480-2644.
sipej{at}csr.nih.gov
Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 961: 1-9 (2002).
Reparative medicine is a critical frontier in biomedical and
clinical research. The National Institutes of Health Bioengineering
Consortium (BECON) convened a symposium titled "Reparative Medicine:
Growing Tissues and Organs," which was held on June 25 and 26,
2001 in Bethesda, Maryland. The relevant realms of cells, molecular
signaling, extracellular matrix, engineering design principles,
vascular assembly, bioreactors, storage and translation, and
host remodeling and the immune response that are essential to
tissue engineering were discussed. This overview of the scientific
program summarizes the plenary talks, extended poster presentations
and breakout session reports with an emphasis on scientific
and technical hurdles that must be overcome to achieve the promise
of restoring, replacing, or enhancing tissue and organ function
that tissue engineering offers.
