Engineering Biological Tissues from the Bottom-Up: Recent Advances and Future Prospects

• Published in: Micromachines (Basel) Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 75
• Main Authors: Wang, Xiaowen, Wang, Zhen, Zhai, Wenya, Wang, Fengyun, Ge, Zhixing, Yu, Haibo, Yang, Wenguang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 31.12.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Biology; Biomedical materials; Blood vessels; bottom-up tissue engineering; Cartilage; Design; drug screening; Hydrogels; Manufacturing; Methods; micro-fabrication; modular assembly; Modular engineering; Musculoskeletal system; Polyethylene glycol; Radiation; Review; Skin; Smooth muscle; Tissue engineering; micro-fabrication; modular assembly; bottom-up tissue engineering; drug screening
• ISSN: 2072-666X; 2072-666X
• DOI: 10.3390/mi13010075

Tissue engineering provides a powerful solution for current organ shortages, and researchers have cultured blood vessels, heart tissues, and bone tissues in vitro. However, traditional top-down tissue engineering has suffered two challenges: vascularization and reconfigurability of functional units. With the continuous development of micro-nano technology and biomaterial technology, bottom-up tissue engineering as a promising approach for organ and tissue modular reconstruction has gradually developed. In this article, relevant advances in living blocks fabrication and assembly techniques for creation of higher-order bioarchitectures are described. After a critical overview of this technology, a discussion of practical challenges is provided, and future development prospects are proposed.