The success of endogenous healing and regeneration of human tissues compromised by disease, injury, or aging is determined by multiple factors including the availability of stem and progenitor cells and by the optimal architecture and function of a stem cell microenvironment or stem cell niche. Recent advances in the understanding of the niche control mechanisms, including identification of niche-specific key soluble mediators, cell types, and cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions, uncovered unprecedented complexity of tissue regeneration processes and highlighted a need for a precise temporal and spatial patterning and monitoring of tissues in vivo for creating a pro-regenerative microenvironment and achieving optimal endogenous healing and regeneration outcomes.
Our ability to precisely control and monitor tissue regeneration in vivo particularly in large animal models and in humans is still limited. However, recent advances in real-time, high-resolution imaging and sensing, drug delivery, material science, and bioengineering in combination with basic science discoveries of the mechanisms of wound healing, inflammation resolution, and tissue regeneration created a critical mass of knowledge and know-how to allow the development and implementation of practical solutions for flexible and precise control and monitoring of tissues in vivo in real-time. Additionally, these capabilities are being enhanced by the sophisticated methods of single-cell analyses, epigenomics, metabolomics, data science, and bioinformatics, among others. It is now the right time to integrate these different lines of research and technology for achieving practical solutions for the development of regenerative medicine therapies. Achieving this goal will require strong interdisciplinary collaboration across different disciplines. This Research Topic invites contributions that address the development and application of flexible systems to enable robust and predictable control and monitoring of the tissue microenvironment in vivo for achieving optimal endogenous tissue regeneration outcomes.
We will consider submissions of original research, reviews, mini-reviews, commentaries, and opinion pieces on topics addressing approaches to patterning and monitoring of endogenous tissue microenvironment that include but are not limited to:
• ‘Smart’ biomaterials, including immunomodulatory biomaterials, that can respond to endogenous cues from tissue microenvironment and modify their properties to promote tissue healing and regeneration and inhibit fibrotic responses
• Biomaterials that can modulate their physical and chemical properties and transmit mechanical forces in vivo in response to internal and external stimuli
• Drug delivery, such as a combinatorial delivery of biomolecules with a pre-determined kinetics
• Flexible tunable systems wherein vivo microenvironment can be controlled by the application of external stimuli, such as ultrasound, light, temperature, or magnetic field
• Development of new and optimization of existing tissue sensing and imaging modalities for high-resolution, real-time monitoring of tissue microenvironment
• Feedback control systems where signals from endogenous tissue microenvironment are integrated into the control loop with the external stimuli capable of modifying this microenvironment
• In vitro models that deconstruct and explore underlying mechanisms of tissue regeneration
Dr. Rosemarie Hunziker currently works as the Principal for Connexon Life sciences Consulting
Dr. Melissa Krebs would like to disclose that she is the CEO and founder of the startup company, GelSana Therapeutics, Inc
The success of endogenous healing and regeneration of human tissues compromised by disease, injury, or aging is determined by multiple factors including the availability of stem and progenitor cells and by the optimal architecture and function of a stem cell microenvironment or stem cell niche. Recent advances in the understanding of the niche control mechanisms, including identification of niche-specific key soluble mediators, cell types, and cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions, uncovered unprecedented complexity of tissue regeneration processes and highlighted a need for a precise temporal and spatial patterning and monitoring of tissues in vivo for creating a pro-regenerative microenvironment and achieving optimal endogenous healing and regeneration outcomes.
Our ability to precisely control and monitor tissue regeneration in vivo particularly in large animal models and in humans is still limited. However, recent advances in real-time, high-resolution imaging and sensing, drug delivery, material science, and bioengineering in combination with basic science discoveries of the mechanisms of wound healing, inflammation resolution, and tissue regeneration created a critical mass of knowledge and know-how to allow the development and implementation of practical solutions for flexible and precise control and monitoring of tissues in vivo in real-time. Additionally, these capabilities are being enhanced by the sophisticated methods of single-cell analyses, epigenomics, metabolomics, data science, and bioinformatics, among others. It is now the right time to integrate these different lines of research and technology for achieving practical solutions for the development of regenerative medicine therapies. Achieving this goal will require strong interdisciplinary collaboration across different disciplines. This Research Topic invites contributions that address the development and application of flexible systems to enable robust and predictable control and monitoring of the tissue microenvironment in vivo for achieving optimal endogenous tissue regeneration outcomes.
We will consider submissions of original research, reviews, mini-reviews, commentaries, and opinion pieces on topics addressing approaches to patterning and monitoring of endogenous tissue microenvironment that include but are not limited to:
• ‘Smart’ biomaterials, including immunomodulatory biomaterials, that can respond to endogenous cues from tissue microenvironment and modify their properties to promote tissue healing and regeneration and inhibit fibrotic responses
• Biomaterials that can modulate their physical and chemical properties and transmit mechanical forces in vivo in response to internal and external stimuli
• Drug delivery, such as a combinatorial delivery of biomolecules with a pre-determined kinetics
• Flexible tunable systems wherein vivo microenvironment can be controlled by the application of external stimuli, such as ultrasound, light, temperature, or magnetic field
• Development of new and optimization of existing tissue sensing and imaging modalities for high-resolution, real-time monitoring of tissue microenvironment
• Feedback control systems where signals from endogenous tissue microenvironment are integrated into the control loop with the external stimuli capable of modifying this microenvironment
• In vitro models that deconstruct and explore underlying mechanisms of tissue regeneration
Dr. Rosemarie Hunziker currently works as the Principal for Connexon Life sciences Consulting
Dr. Melissa Krebs would like to disclose that she is the CEO and founder of the startup company, GelSana Therapeutics, Inc
