![Figure][1] 

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is the non-cellular component present within all tissues and organs, and provides not only essential physical scaffolding for the cellular constituents but also initiates crucial biochemical and biomechanical cues that are required for tissue

/pdf/the-extracellular-matrix-at-a-glance-3w9rr8bw3e.pdf

The extracellular matrix at a glance

An overview of tissue and whole organ decellularization processes.

http://www.tara.tcd.ie/bitstream/handle/2262/54960/Biomaterials%20and%20scaffolds%20for%20tissue%20engineering.pdf;sequence=1

Biomaterials & scaffolds for tissue engineering

Stem cell fate is influenced by a number of factors and interactions that require robust control for safe and effective regeneration of functional tissue. Coordinated interactions with soluble factors, other cells, and extracellular matrices define a local biochemical and mechanical niche with complex and dynamic regulation that stem cells sense. Decellularized tissue matrices and synthetic polymer niches are being used in the clinic, and they are also beginning to clarify fundamental aspects of how stem cells contribute to homeostasis and repair, for example, at sites of fibrosis. Multifaceted technologies are increasingly required to produce and interrogate cells ex vivo, to build predictive models, and, ultimately, to enhance stem cell integration in vivo for therapeutic benefit.

/pdf/growth-factors-matrices-and-forces-combine-and-control-stem-4daxw4e632.pdf

Growth Factors, Matrices, and Forces Combine and Control Stem Cells

The molecular and physical information coded within the extracellular milieu is informing the development of a new generation of biomaterials for tissue engineering. Several powerful extracellular influences have already found their way into cell-instructive scaffolds, while others remain largely unexplored. Yet for commercial success tissue engineering products must be not only efficacious but also cost-effective, introducing a potential dichotomy between the need for sophistication and ease of production. This is spurring interest in recreating extracellular influences in simplified forms, from the reduction of biopolymers into short functional domains, to the use of basic chemistries to manipulate cell fate. In the future these exciting developments are likely to help reconcile the clinical and commercial pressures on tissue engineering.

Complexity in biomaterials for tissue engineering

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(08)61598-6.pdf

Clinical transplantation of a tissue-engineered airway

A double-chamber rotating bioreactor for the development of tissue-engineered hollow organs: From concept to clinical trial

Background: The intestinal epithelium is a single layer of polarized cells and is the primary barrier separating foreign antigen and underlying lymphoid tissue. IFNγ alters epithelial barrier function during inflammation by disrupting tight cell junctions and facilitating the paracellular transport of luminal antigens. The aim of this work was to determine whether Campylobacter infection of cells exposed to IFNγ would lead to greater disruption of cell monolayers and hence increased bacterial translocation.



Methods: Monolayers were polarized on Transwell polycarbonate membranes for 14 days and then cultured in the presence or absence of 100 U/mL IFNγ. Campylobacter was added to the apical side of the monolayer at an MOI of 30. Transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) was recorded and bacteria in the basal well counted every 2 hours. Cells were stained for occludin, actin, and nuclear DNA, and cell viability determined by measurement of apoptosis.



Results: In the presence of IFNγ, TEER dropped significantly after 18 hours, indicating a reduction in barrier function. A further significant decrease was seen in the presence of both IFNγ and Campylobacter, indicating a synergistic effect, and cellular morphology and viability were affected. Bacterial translocation across the monolayer was also significantly greater in the presence of IFNγ.



Conclusions: These combined effects indicate that Campylobacter infection concomitant with intestinal inflammation would result in a rapid and dramatic loss of epithelial barrier integrity, which may be a key event in the pathogenesis of Campylobacter-mediated colitis and the development of bloody diarrhea.



(Inflamm Bowel Dis 2007)

A. Dodson

Papers

Clinical transplantation of a tissue-engineered airway

A double-chamber rotating bioreactor for the development of tissue-engineered hollow organs: From concept to clinical trial

Campylobacter and IFNγ interact to cause a rapid loss of epithelial barrier integrity

Clinical transplantation of a tissue-engineered airway (vol 372, pg 2023, 2008)