Extracellular matrix (ECM) architecture, composition, and the continuous crosstalk between cells and their own microenvironment affect the functions of tissue and organs. The acknowledged role of the ECM in morphogenesis, homeostasis, wound healing, fibrosis, and pathologic events have fostered the development of cell-instructive biomaterials to make the engineered cell microenvironments closer as possible to the native ECMs in terms of dynamicity, mechanical and transport properties, composition, architecture, and sequestration of signals. Also, there is a need of manufacturing structures mimicking the modular nature of several organs, to enhance the functionality of the engineered tissues. Therefore, cell-instructive biomaterials have been used to produce tissue building blocks, microtissues, or micromodules with specific architectural features, with the aim of acting as modular units to engineer complex biological architectures with a bottom-up approach. Finally, coupling modular tissue engineering with bioprinting techniques, by allowing the precise and coherent deposition and assembly of micro-tissues into functional in vitro tissues, may represent an advanced approach for obtaining high-fidelity replicas of native organs.
ECM is the most performant functional biomaterial, composed of more than 300 macromolecules and its functions have been optimized during the evolutionary steps along different millions of years. Other than providing mechanical support, the ECM has been recognized to act as a dynamic entity that changes its composition and architecture according to specific cellular needs, morphogenetic processes, and pathophysiological status. Furthermore, the ECM is tissue-specific, since different cells synthesize different ECMs, and possess the ability to store functional moieties and growth factors according to cell-specific spatial gradients which are then opportunely presented to cells over time. To mimic the native ECMs, different biomaterials fabrication and functionalization technologies have been proposed over the last two decades. First, a focus was placed on the design criteria (e.g. the engineering of pore size and shape, degradation rate, and mechanical properties) and then, on the introduction of several biophysical cues aiming at increasing the functionalities of the ECM surrogates. Nevertheless, scaffolds that preserve the properties of native ECMs have not been obtained yet.
This Research Topic will collect contributions from researchers involved in developing biomaterials and biofabrication techniques (e.g. modular tissue engineering, bioprinting) that aim at recreating functional cell microenvironments which possess instructive and adaptive capabilities tailored to specific cell needs.
We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review, and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:
• Biomaterials and biofabrication methods able to recreate physiologic and pathologic microenvironments,
• Biomaterials and biofabrication methods to produce functional building blocks for modular tissue engineering applications,
• Biomaterials and biofabrication methods to replicate complex biological phenomena such as (but not limited to): branching morphogenesis, hair follicle development, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, fibrosis, and wound healing,
• Bioinks formulations suitable for complex tissue and organ manufacturing,
• Interplay between different bioinks formulations and/or bioprinting techniques to obtain bioengineered multicellular and multi-compositional in vitro tissue equivalents,
• Bioengineering approaches in which somatic cells are induced to produce and assemble their own extracellular matrix,
• Functional biomaterials and surface functionalization at the nanoscale able to provide on-demand spatial and temporal presentation of biophysical signals,
• Functional replication of tissue and stem cell niches.
Keywords:
cell-instructive biomaterials, Modular tissue engineering, Biofabrication, Physiological Microenvironment, Stem cells niche replication, BioPrinting and bioassembly
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.
Extracellular matrix (ECM) architecture, composition, and the continuous crosstalk between cells and their own microenvironment affect the functions of tissue and organs. The acknowledged role of the ECM in morphogenesis, homeostasis, wound healing, fibrosis, and pathologic events have fostered the development of cell-instructive biomaterials to make the engineered cell microenvironments closer as possible to the native ECMs in terms of dynamicity, mechanical and transport properties, composition, architecture, and sequestration of signals. Also, there is a need of manufacturing structures mimicking the modular nature of several organs, to enhance the functionality of the engineered tissues. Therefore, cell-instructive biomaterials have been used to produce tissue building blocks, microtissues, or micromodules with specific architectural features, with the aim of acting as modular units to engineer complex biological architectures with a bottom-up approach. Finally, coupling modular tissue engineering with bioprinting techniques, by allowing the precise and coherent deposition and assembly of micro-tissues into functional in vitro tissues, may represent an advanced approach for obtaining high-fidelity replicas of native organs.
ECM is the most performant functional biomaterial, composed of more than 300 macromolecules and its functions have been optimized during the evolutionary steps along different millions of years. Other than providing mechanical support, the ECM has been recognized to act as a dynamic entity that changes its composition and architecture according to specific cellular needs, morphogenetic processes, and pathophysiological status. Furthermore, the ECM is tissue-specific, since different cells synthesize different ECMs, and possess the ability to store functional moieties and growth factors according to cell-specific spatial gradients which are then opportunely presented to cells over time. To mimic the native ECMs, different biomaterials fabrication and functionalization technologies have been proposed over the last two decades. First, a focus was placed on the design criteria (e.g. the engineering of pore size and shape, degradation rate, and mechanical properties) and then, on the introduction of several biophysical cues aiming at increasing the functionalities of the ECM surrogates. Nevertheless, scaffolds that preserve the properties of native ECMs have not been obtained yet.
This Research Topic will collect contributions from researchers involved in developing biomaterials and biofabrication techniques (e.g. modular tissue engineering, bioprinting) that aim at recreating functional cell microenvironments which possess instructive and adaptive capabilities tailored to specific cell needs.
We welcome Original Research, Review, Mini Review, and Perspective articles on themes including, but not limited to:
• Biomaterials and biofabrication methods able to recreate physiologic and pathologic microenvironments,
• Biomaterials and biofabrication methods to produce functional building blocks for modular tissue engineering applications,
• Biomaterials and biofabrication methods to replicate complex biological phenomena such as (but not limited to): branching morphogenesis, hair follicle development, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, fibrosis, and wound healing,
• Bioinks formulations suitable for complex tissue and organ manufacturing,
• Interplay between different bioinks formulations and/or bioprinting techniques to obtain bioengineered multicellular and multi-compositional in vitro tissue equivalents,
• Bioengineering approaches in which somatic cells are induced to produce and assemble their own extracellular matrix,
• Functional biomaterials and surface functionalization at the nanoscale able to provide on-demand spatial and temporal presentation of biophysical signals,
• Functional replication of tissue and stem cell niches.
Keywords:
cell-instructive biomaterials, Modular tissue engineering, Biofabrication, Physiological Microenvironment, Stem cells niche replication, BioPrinting and bioassembly
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.