IBMS BoneKEy | Perspective
Tissue engineering of bone and cartilage
Shinsuke Ohba
Fumiko Yano
Ung-il Chung
DOI:10.1138/20090406
Abstract
In vertebrates, the skeleton has pivotal roles in mobility, locomotion, calcium homeostasis, hematopoiesis and protection. Therefore, irreversible skeletal defects often incur considerable morbidity. Tissue engineering has drawn attention as a promising strategy for the treatment of irreversible tissue defects. There are three pillars important for tissue engineering: cell sources, signaling factors, and scaffolds. Since the late 1990s, substantial progress has been made in tissue engineering of bone and cartilage along with advances in stem cell biology, bone and cartilage biology, and materials science. In particular, autologous cell implantation combined with biodegradable scaffolds have been extensively researched. This Perspective aims to review recent advances and major obstacles currently faced by the field of tissue engineering of bone and cartilage. It includes discussion of each pillar of tissue engineering, with a focus on several preclinical and clinical studies that are milestones in this field, and suggests future perspectives and directions.
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