Bioengineered scaffolds are engineered structures designed to encourage the ingrowth of living cells and be implanted into the body.
Types of bioengineered scaffold
This is a very active field of research and development, and the main groups of materials include -
- Synthetic scaffolds, eg polyurethane
- Hydrogel scaffolds, eg synthetic materials such as poly N-isopropyl acrylamide, or natural materials such as alginate.
- Extracellular matrix (ECM) component scaffolds, formed primarily from a macromolecule abundant in native matrix, eg collagen meniscus implants or hyaluronan scaffolds.
- Tissue-derived scaffolds include processed whole tissue such as small intestinal submucosa, decellularised tissue or extracellular matrix, and silk
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CLINICAL PUBLICATIONS
An Overview of Scaffold Design and Fabrication Technology for Engineered Knee Meniscus Sun J, Vijayavenkataraman S and Liu H. Materials (Basel). 2017 Jan; 10(1): 29.
The knee meniscus: structure-function, pathophysiology, current repair techniques, and prospects for regeneration. Makris EA, Hadidi P and Athanasiou KA. Biomaterials. 2011 Oct; 32(30): 7411–7431.