Clinical Translation in Tissue Engineering—The Surgeon’s View

• Published in: Current molecular biology reports 2015-06, Vol.1 (2), p.61-70
• Main Authors: Dlaska, Constantin E., Andersson, Gunnar, Brittberg, Mats, Suedkamp, Norbert P., Raschke, Michael J., Schuetz, Michael A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Human Genetics; Molecular Biology of Skeletal Tissue Engineering (DW Hutmacher; Molecular Medicine; Section Editor; Topical Collection on Molecular Biology of Skeletal Tissue Engineering
• ISSN: 2198-6428; 2198-6428
• DOI: 10.1007/s40610-015-0013-3

Tissue engineering has raised the hopes of many surgeons to provide products, to restore the functionality of tissues and organs. The orthopedic surgeon could use these products to replace missing tissue due to trauma, infection, or surgical removal of necrotic or neoplastic tissue. Although research has shown large interest in TE, and number of publications in this field has increased tremendously in the last decade, there are still very few products available. This review provides the view of leading surgeons and their view of TE in their area of expertise. Looking at spinal surgery, cartilage repair, tendon/ligament/muscle repair, large bone defects, and biomaterials, these experts report about the current demand, the current achievements, and the future of tissue engineering in the perspective of the surgeon. Furthermore, the difficulties of translating research results to usable products will be discussed.