New Paradigms in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Tissue engineering is a sub-discipline of biomedical engineering that aims to restore, maintain, improve, or replace different types of biological tissues. It uses cells, engineering, and materials methods, along with biochemical and physicochemical factors. Regenerative medicine is a field that applies engineering and life science principles to promote regeneration of diseased/injured tissues and whole organs. The fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine are evolving at a rapid pace, and offer various promising solutions for treating a number of medical conditions. The last few decades saw a lot of development in this field, and has drastically transformed medical treatments and procedures. The two most important aspects of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine are the use of stem cells and the 3-D printing technology. Stem cells can differentiate into many different types of cells due to which they are used to repair and regenerate damaged cells and tissues. It is now possible to make customized implants and scaffolds that are designed to match the exact shape and size of the damaged tissues. The implants can also be seeded with cells, which facilitate tissue regeneration for various medical conditions. This book covers in detail some existent theories and innovative concepts revolving around tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. It will help the readers in keeping pace with the rapid changes in this field.