The animal-based model remains the predominant research platform in biomedical and pharmaceutical research. Animal usage in the UK alone increased by 6% in 2021, with mice and rats accounting for just under 1 million experimental procedures. However, the mismatch between animal models and clinical reality (e.g. species barrier, age mismatch, populational diversity level) presents a major hurdle for clinical translation. Consequently, only ~10% of new drug candidates are eventually certified for clinical use, presenting a soaring research cost of $ 4-12 billion/new drug in recent years. This grand challenge stimulates the development of human tissue-engineered human models (e.g. organoids, microfluidic chips, and organ-on-a-chip systems) as potential solutions to replace animal models. Despite the rapid progress in this field, current tissue-engineered human models are still insufficient to recapitulate the complex morphology of target tissues, and consequently, inadequate to model realistic tissue function or generate transplantable tissue/organ.
In this research topic, we raise the concept of functional tissue engineering to construct biologically meaningful tissue that can at least partly resembles the function of the target human tissue. To achieve this, theoretical and technological breakthroughs are needed in tissue morphogenesis, vascularization, and cell-based microfabrication technologies. Appropriate tissue morphology and cultivation environment are critical for the recreation of true-to-life biological function, whereas efficient vascular perfusion is essential for growing any viable tissue above the sub-millimeter scale or above.
This focused research topic welcomes both original research papers and review articles that can provide research findings or new insights on how to develop functional bioengineered tissue/organ. We are particularly keen to receive articles that focus on the following areas:
• Development and application of novel fabrication technologies and computational modeling for bioengineering of function tissue.
• Development and application of advanced imaging, omics, and biosensor technology to assess the functionality of bioengineered tissue.
• Studies on in vivo transplantation and post-grafting integration/remodeling of bioengineered tissue.
• Any novel theories, technologies, and know-how processes that may support the development of functional tissue engineering.
The animal-based model remains the predominant research platform in biomedical and pharmaceutical research. Animal usage in the UK alone increased by 6% in 2021, with mice and rats accounting for just under 1 million experimental procedures. However, the mismatch between animal models and clinical reality (e.g. species barrier, age mismatch, populational diversity level) presents a major hurdle for clinical translation. Consequently, only ~10% of new drug candidates are eventually certified for clinical use, presenting a soaring research cost of $ 4-12 billion/new drug in recent years. This grand challenge stimulates the development of human tissue-engineered human models (e.g. organoids, microfluidic chips, and organ-on-a-chip systems) as potential solutions to replace animal models. Despite the rapid progress in this field, current tissue-engineered human models are still insufficient to recapitulate the complex morphology of target tissues, and consequently, inadequate to model realistic tissue function or generate transplantable tissue/organ.
In this research topic, we raise the concept of functional tissue engineering to construct biologically meaningful tissue that can at least partly resembles the function of the target human tissue. To achieve this, theoretical and technological breakthroughs are needed in tissue morphogenesis, vascularization, and cell-based microfabrication technologies. Appropriate tissue morphology and cultivation environment are critical for the recreation of true-to-life biological function, whereas efficient vascular perfusion is essential for growing any viable tissue above the sub-millimeter scale or above.
This focused research topic welcomes both original research papers and review articles that can provide research findings or new insights on how to develop functional bioengineered tissue/organ. We are particularly keen to receive articles that focus on the following areas:
• Development and application of novel fabrication technologies and computational modeling for bioengineering of function tissue.
• Development and application of advanced imaging, omics, and biosensor technology to assess the functionality of bioengineered tissue.
• Studies on in vivo transplantation and post-grafting integration/remodeling of bioengineered tissue.
• Any novel theories, technologies, and know-how processes that may support the development of functional tissue engineering.