Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Cloning: Current Concepts and Changing Trends
A. Atala
Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston Salem, NC 27157, USA
Selective cell growth and novel biomaterials have led to the
engineering of tissues and organs that may be used to restore and
maintain normal function. Cells for tissue reconstitution can be
derived from the native organ to be replaced, thus avoiding rejection.
In situations where normal native tissues are not available, different
stem cell sources may be explored. In addition, recent advances in
the field of cloning have made it possible to retrieve cells using
nuclear transfer techniques. Regenerative medicine techniques been
applied experimentally and clinically for the reconstitution of several
tissues and organs. Recent progress suggests that other engineered
tissues and organs created experimentally will also have clinical
applicability.
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