Article,
Complexity in biomaterials for tissue engineering.
Nat. Mater., 8 (6): 457--470 (June 2009)
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2441
Abstract
The molecular and physical information coded within the extracellular
milieu is informing the development of a new generation of biomaterials
for tissue engineering. Several powerful extracellular influences
have already found their way into cell-instructive scaffolds, while
others remain largely unexplored. Yet for commercial success tissue
engineering products must be not only efficacious but also cost-effective,
introducing a potential dichotomy between the need for sophistication
and ease of production. This is spurring interest in recreating extracellular
influences in simplified forms, from the reduction of biopolymers
into short functional domains, to the use of basic chemistries to
manipulate cell fate. In the future these exciting developments are
likely to help reconcile the clinical and commercial pressures on
tissue engineering.
