AUTHOR=Ławkowska Karolina , Rosenbaum Clemens , Petrasz Piotr , Kluth Luis , Koper Krzysztof , Drewa Tomasz , Pokrywczynska Marta , Adamowicz Jan , the Trauma and Reconstructive Urology Working Party of the European Association of Urology Young Academic Urologists TITLE=Tissue engineering in reconstructive urology—The current status and critical insights to set future directions-critical review JOURNAL=Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology VOLUME=10 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/bioengineering-and-biotechnology/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2022.1040987 DOI=10.3389/fbioe.2022.1040987 ISSN=2296-4185 ABSTRACT=

Advanced techniques of reconstructive urology are gradually reaching their limits in terms of their ability to restore urinary tract function and patients’ quality of life. A tissue engineering-based approach to urinary tract reconstruction, utilizing cells and biomaterials, offers an opportunity to overcome current limitations. Although tissue engineering studies have been heralding the imminent introduction of this method into clinics for over a decade, tissue engineering is only marginally applied. In this review, we discuss the role of tissue engineering in reconstructive urology and try to answer the question of why such a promising technology has not proven its clinical usability so far.