Laboratory for Tissue Engineering, Harvard Medical School/The Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
Address for correspondence: Anthony Atala, Laboratory for Tissue Engineering, Harvard Medical School/The Children's Hospital, 300 Longwood Ave., Enders Bldg. #461, Boston, MA 02115 Voice: 617-355-6169; fax: 617-355-6587.
A.Atala{at}TCH.Harvard.edu
Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 961: 10-26 (2002).
Tissue engineering, by necessity, encompasses a wide array of
experimental directions and scientific disciplines.
In vitro tissue engineering involves the manipulation of cells
in vitro,
prior to implantation into the
in vivo environment. In contrast,
in vivo tissue engineering relies on the body's natural ability
to regenerate over non-cell-seeded biomaterials. Cells, biomaterials,
and controlled incubation conditions all play important roles
in the construction and use of modern
in vitro systems for tissue
engineering. Gene delivery is also an important factor for controlling
or supporting the function of engineered cells both
in vitro and post implantation, where appropriate. In this review, systems
involved in the context of
in vitro tissue engineering are addressed,
including bioreactors, cell-seeded constructs, cell encapsulation,
and gene delivery. Emphasis is placed upon investigations that
are more directly linked to the treatment of clinical conditions.
