Tissue engineering in the larynx and airway

• Published in: Current opinion in otolaryngology & head and neck surgery Vol. 24; no. 6; p. 469
• Main Author: Hertegård, Stellan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.12.2016
• Subjects: Animals; Humans; Larynx - injuries; Larynx - surgery; Stem Cell Transplantation; Stromal Cells - transplantation; Tissue Engineering - methods; Tissue Scaffolds; Trachea - injuries; Trachea - surgery; Wound Healing
• ISSN: 1531-6998
• DOI: 10.1097/MOO.0000000000000304

Tissue engineering is a rapidly expanding field in medicine and involves regeneration and restoration of many organs, including larynx and the airways. Currently, this is not included in routine practice; however, a number of clinical trials in humans are ongoing or starting. This review will cover publications during the past 2 years and the focus is on larynx and trachea. Recent reports concern the development and investigations of cell therapies, including biological factors such as growth factors which promote healing of damage and increased vascular support of the tissue. A separate section concerns studies of stromal cells and stem cells in tissue engineering. Cell therapies and treatment with biological active factors are often combined with the development of scaffolds to support or reconstruct the soft tissue in the larynx or the cartilages in trachea or larynx. New techniques for scaffold construction, such as 3D printing, are developed. The trend in the recent publications is to combine these methods. Recent advances in tissue engineering of the larynx and trachea include the development of cell therapies or treatment with biological active factors often in combination with scaffolds.