Concise Review: Tissue Engineering of Urinary Bladder; We Still Have a Long Way to Go?

• Published in: Stem cells translational medicine 2017-11, Vol.6 (11), p.2033-2043
• Main Authors: Adamowicz, Jan, Pokrywczynska, Marta, Van Breda, Shane Vontelin, Kloskowski, Tomasz, Drewa, Tomasz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biomedical materials; Bladder cancer; Cancer therapies; Clinical Application / Translation; Clinical medicine; Fistula; Humans; Metabolic disorders; Not Applicable; Patients; Regeneration; Regenerative medicine; Research methodology; Reviews; Stem Cell Niche; Stem Cell Transplantation - methods; Stem cells; Surgical techniques; Tissue engineering; Tissue Engineering - methods; Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine; Translational Medical Research - methods; Translational Medical Research - trends; Translational medicine; Translational s and Reviews; Urinary bladder; Urinary Bladder - cytology; Urinary Bladder - physiology; Urine; Urogenital Disease; Urogenital Regeneration; Urogenital system; Urology; Wound Healing / Fibrosis
• ISSN: 2157-6564; 2157-6580
• DOI: 10.1002/sctm.17-0101

Regenerative medicine is a new branch of medicine based on tissue engineering technology. This rapidly developing field of science offers revolutionary treatment strategy aimed at urinary bladder regeneration. Despite many promising announcements of experimental urinary bladder reconstruction, there has been a lack in commercialization of therapies based on current investigations. This is due to numerous obstacles that are slowly being identified and precisely overcome. The goal of this review is to present the current status of research on urinary bladder regeneration and highlight further challenges that need to be gradually addressed. We put an emphasis on expectations of urologists that are awaiting tissue engineering based solutions in clinical practice. This review also presents a detailed characteristic of obstacles on the road to successful urinary bladder regeneration from urological clinician perspective. A defined interdisciplinary approach might help to accelerate planning transitional research tissue engineering focused on urinary tracts. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:2033–2043 Indications for cystectomy with subsequently performed urine diversion comprise malignant and nonmalignant conditions. Invasive bladder cancer is the most common of them. Tissue engineering strategies included noncellular (A) and cellular (B) grafts, developed for bladder replacement.