Tissue Engineering News and Research

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Dramatic advances in the fields of biochemistry, cell and molecular biology, genetics, biomedical engineering and materials science have given rise to the remarkable new cross-disciplinary field of tissue engineering. Tissue engineering uses synthetic or naturally derived, engineered biomaterials to replace damaged or defective tissues, such as bone, skin, and even organs.

Cold plasma could help bones heal faster, study shows

Cold plasma looks like the glow from the "Star Wars" blue light saber but this beam of energy, made of electrons that change polarity at micro-second or nanosecond speeds, could help bones heal faster, according to a study published August 11th in the Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine.

12 Aug 2016

Researchers develop new strategy to convert fibroblasts directly into neuronal cells

Researchers have used CRISPR -- a revolutionary new genetic engineering technique -- to convert cells isolated from mouse connective tissue directly into neuronal cells.

11 Aug 2016

New reconstruction technique restores bone loss in the jaw of pigs

Researchers have engineered living bone tissue to repair bone loss in the jaw, a structure that is typically difficult to restore.

5 Aug 2016

NJIT receives two-year funding to develop ways to protect ecosystems and communities from flood waters

The Center for Resilient Design at New Jersey Institute of Technology, part of the university's College of Architecture and Design, has received a two-year grant from the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium to develop ways to protect ecosystems and their surrounding communities from flood waters.

3 Aug 2016

Researchers identify how precise control of inflammation could lead to bone repair

In their mission to design new biomaterials that promote tissue regeneration, Drexel University researchers have identified how inflammation, when precisely controlled, is crucial to bone repair.

30 Jul 2016

New gene therapy shows promising results for treating neurodegenerative disorders

A new gene therapy approach designed to replace the enzyme that is deficient in patients with the inherited neurodegenerative disorders Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases successfully delivered the therapeutic gene to the brains of treated mice, restored enzyme function, and extended survival by about 2.5-fold.

28 Jul 2016

Scientists develop new way to resurface arthritic hip joint

With a goal of treating worn, arthritic hips without extensive surgery to replace them, scientists have programmed stem cells to grow new cartilage on a 3-D template shaped like the ball of a hip joint.

19 Jul 2016

Scientists discover improved method for large scale production of human stem cells

Scientists have discovered a new method of creating human stem cells which could solve the big problem of the large-scale production needed to fully realise the potential of these remarkable cells for understanding and treating disease.

14 Jul 2016

Recellularized colon model helps identify cancer driver genes involved in CRC progression

Genetic mutations are a major cause of cancer, and tracking the role of each gene in cancer pathogenesis has long been an important tool in the fight against a disease that is expected to kill more than 1.6 million people this year.

11 Jul 2016

Innovative nanobubble treatment finds and destroys cancer cells in mice

Innovative technology developed by NIH-funded researchers has been able to find and facilitate the killing of cancer cells in mice without harming the nearby healthy tissue.

7 Jul 2016

Scientists uncover how changes in metabolism of embryonic stem cells can help engineer new blood vessels

Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have uncovered how changes in metabolism of human embryonic stem cells help coax them to mature into specific cell types — and may improve their function in engineered organs or tissues.

24 Jun 2016

Gamma-ray irradiation improves safety of stem cell transplantation in Parkinson’s disease patients

Replacing dopamine-producing cells in the brain represents a promising therapeutic approach in Parkinson's disease, and a new study shows how post-transplantation gamma-ray irradiation can reduce the risk of tumor formation.

24 Jun 2016

Novel method uses lasers to carve paths inside biocompatible gels

Future medicine is bound to include extensive tissue-engineering technologies such as organs-on-chips and organoids - miniature organs grown from stem cells. But all this is predicated on a simple yet challenging task: controlling cellular behavior in three dimensions.

23 Jun 2016

New effort in biomedical engineering may improve heart repair

Jianyi "Jay" Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., brought his biomedical engineering expertise to the University of Alabama at Birmingham to fix hearts.

9 Jun 2016

UPV researchers develop synthetic models that simulate electromagnetic properties of tissues

Researchers at the Universitat Politècnica de València have developed new synthetic models of human tissues that simulate the electromagnetic properties of different tissues and organs.

6 Jun 2016

New FDA draft guidelines place tighter restrictions on surgical practices using tissue-based regenerative therapies

The therapeutic use of human cell and tissue products is highly regulated by the U.S. government, but a specific exception allows surgeons to harvest, manipulate, and implant tissues in many commonly performed procedures.

2 Jun 2016

New technique to grow blood vessels could accelerate growth of regenerative medicine

In addition the technique to grow the blood vessels in a 3D scaffold cuts down on the risk of transplant rejection because it uses cells from the patient. It was developed by researchers from the University of Bath's Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, working with colleagues at Bristol Heart Institute.

25 May 2016

Synthetic heart valve one step closer to reality

The quest for a synthetic heart valve that faithfully mimics the original is a step closer to its goal with the Rice University find that a natural polymer called hyaluronan, one of the chief components of skin and connective tissue, can serve as a versatile template for growing spongiosa, the middle tissue layer in the valve's leaflets.

12 May 2016

Unique attributes of zebrafish may help study human blood disorders

Genetic regulation of the various types of blood cells in zebrafish and humans is highly similar, making it relatively easy and cost-effective to perform genetic, chemical, imaging and other molecular studies on this invaluable model organism to study normal hematopoetic development in humans as well as blood disorders and malignancies, as described in a Review article in Human Gene Therapy, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

9 May 2016

Globin gene transfer to treat beta-thalassemias shows promise in first clinical trial

Promising results from the first clinical trials of globin gene transfer to treat beta-thalassemias-inherited forms of anemia-have eliminated the need for blood transfusions in some individuals.

6 May 2016