Minimalist tissue engineering approaches using low material-based bioengineered systems

Abstract

From an “over-engineering” era in which biomaterials played a central role, now it is observed to the emergence of “developmental” tissue engineering (TE) strategies which rely on an integrative cell-material perspective that paves the way for cell self-organization. The current challenge is to engineer the microenvironment without hampering the spontaneous collective arrangement ability of cells, while simultaneously providing biochemical, geometrical, and biophysical cues that positively influence tissue healing. These efforts have resulted in the development of low-material based TE strategies focused on minimizing the amount of biomaterial provided to the living key players of the regenerative process. Through a “minimalist-engineering” approach, the main idea is to fine-tune the spatial balance occupied by the inanimate region of the regenerative niche toward maximum actuation of the key living components during the healing process.