Biomimetic Organs and Tissues: Design, Preparation and Applications

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Background

In vitro cell culture is a landmark event in the field of life sciences. With the belief that "the key to every biological problem must finally be sought in the cell, for every living organism is, or at sometime has been, a cell" (E.B. Wilson), the mysteries of life have been uncovered one by one, and significant achievements have been made in the Human Genome Project, stem cell research, cloning technology, etc. Letting cells "return" to their native microenvironment would be another milestone in life sciences. When different cell types are precisely organized into a unique architecture, their functions are enhanced. For example, cardiomyocytes organize into fiber-like structures to be able to contract synchronously, which is the basis for the heart to pump blood. Lung epithelial cells and vascular endothelium cells form sac-like alveoli to achieve gas exchange at the air-blood interface, which is the basis for the lung to breathe. In vitro biomimetic simulation of the basic structural and functional units of organs and tissues ranging from several micrometers to centimeters is crucial for future life science research and clinical applications.

Compared with traditional two-dimensional (2D) cell culture, 3D cell culture can take advantage of the biocompatibility, controllable porosity, large surface area, considerable mechanical strength and surface chemistries of 3D scaffolds to emulate in vivo microenvironment, thus optimizing cell adhesion, proliferation, differentiation and long-term survival. 3D bioprinting merges additive manufacturing and 3D cell culture to generate functional organs and tissues in a precise and automated mode. Organoids are an array of stem cell-derived, self-organizing miniature organs, can replicate the key structural and functional characteristics of their in vivo counterparts. Organ-on-a-chip can be broadly defined as microfabricated cell culture devices designed to model the functional units of organs and tissues in vitro and has been emerging as an innovative platform for control and analysis of 3D cultured/bioprinted cells and organoids and their microenvironment. By merging organ-on-a-chip with 3D culturing, 3D bioprinting and organoids, the prospect of these technologies contributing to control of microenvironmental (biochemical and biophysical microenvironment, nutrients and oxygen supply), modeling tissue-tissue and multi-organ interaction, and integration of biosensing to permit continuous screening is promising. This will be of great significance for the future directions of bench research and clinical applications.

This Research Topic “Biomimetic organs and tissues: design, preparation and application” invites authors to contribute original scientific reports, articles, reviews or perspective articles that cover the recent advances in all aspects of biomimetic organs and tissues. We also welcome the topics that the challenges, innovative and transformative products or technologies, and future direction in this field.
- Biomimetic organs and tissues construction technologies: 3Dculturing, 3D printing, Spheroids, Organoid, Organ-on-a-chip, body-on-a-chip
- Biomimetic organs and tissues models: heart, brain, bone, spleen, lung, kidney, liver, tumor, etc., as well as vascularization, innervation or lymph angiogenesis of biomimetic organs and tissues
- Biomimetic organs and tissues detection technologies: imaging, biosensing, etc.
- Application of biomimetic organs and tissues in biomedicine: tissue engineering, tissue morphogenesis, pathogenesis, precision medicine, drug development
- Application of biomimetic organs and tissues in other fields: safety monitoring of cosmetics, food and environmental factors
- Application of biomimetic organs and tissues in special environment life science research: Space microgravity and radiation, confined space, different intensity magnetic field, plateau hypoxia, etc.

Keywords: Biomimetic, 3D culturing, 3D printing, Spheroids, Organoid, Organ-on-a-chip, Body-on-a-chip

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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