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Assignment - 1 Stem Cell Based Tissue Engineering

Tissue engineering uses stem cells, biomaterials, and growth factors in a "triad" approach to regenerate tissues. There are three strategies: using cells alone, delivering growth factors, or using 3D scaffolds to support cell growth. Scaffolds are fabricated from biomaterials which must be biocompatible and support mechanical and biological cell functions. Common cell sources include mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow, hematopoietic stem cells from various sources, and tissue-specific stem cells like liver stem cells.

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69 views

Assignment - 1 Stem Cell Based Tissue Engineering

Tissue engineering uses stem cells, biomaterials, and growth factors in a "triad" approach to regenerate tissues. There are three strategies: using cells alone, delivering growth factors, or using 3D scaffolds to support cell growth. Scaffolds are fabricated from biomaterials which must be biocompatible and support mechanical and biological cell functions. Common cell sources include mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow, hematopoietic stem cells from various sources, and tissue-specific stem cells like liver stem cells.

Uploaded by

Savita
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Assignment – 1

Stem Cell Based Tissue Engineering

Q1: What is Tissue Engineering? How is it related to stem cells?

Tissue engineering is defined as “the application of the principles and methods of engineering and
life sciences toward the fundamental understanding of structure function relationships in normal
and pathological mammalian tissue and the development of biological substitutes to restore,
maintain or improve tissue function”

Q2: Explain the “triad” of Tissue Engineering.

Biomaterials, cells and growth factors are known as the “Tissue Engineering
TRIAD”.

There are three different strategies that could be adopted for the regeneration of new tissues. In the
first approach cells can be used as therapeutic agents to restore the functional tissue. This approach
mainly involves the isolation of cells from different cell sources (autologous, allogenic; syngenic and
xenogenic) and even use of stem cells using a special technique called stem cell therapy, placing
them in the site of interest for improving the tissue function.

The second approach involves the exogenous delivery of growth promoting substances like growth
factors using the carriers (polymeric or lipidemic) canstimulate the endogenous stem/progenitor
cells for the specific differentiation thereby replacing the lost cells or tissues.

The third approach is to use artificial 3-dimentional scaffolds or matrices for thegrowth of cells
where cells can be either recruited from the host tissue in vivo or seeded in vitro

Q3: Differentiate between biomaterials and scaffold.

The main difference between scaffold an biomaterial is

Scaffolds are supporting materials used in tissue engineering applications to repair or restore
damaged tissues and they are derived from biomaterials.

Biomaterials are used to fabricate scaffolds. There are different types of biomaterials including
biopolymers, bioceramics and biodegradable metals. Biomaterials have to be biocompatible and
non-toxic.

To fabricate scaffold, appropriate biomaterial has to be chosen according to the desired


characteristics and application of the scaffold

Q4: Highlight the important properties of biomaterials.

Mechanical properties

 Tensile strength
 Bending ability
 Hardness
 Visco-elasticity
 Shear/torsion ability

Biological properties

 Biocompatibility,
 bioinertness
 biofunctionality

Q5: What are the different types of sources for cells used in the process of tissue engineering?

Mesenchymal stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells are the adult stem cells derived from the bone marrow.

This cell type has the capacity to differentiate into many lineages namely osteocyte for bone;
chondrocyte for cartilage; myoblast for muscle; fibroblast for tendon or ligament; and other
connective tissue cell types under specific culture conditions. In addition to this, these cells can be
isolated from the patients since they avoid the immune complications.

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC)

HSC can self-renew and also differentiated into many lineages such as
hematopoietic tissues such as blood and immune system, non-hematopoietic
tissues such as cardiac myocytes, vascular endothelial cells and even
hepatocytes. The positive cell surface markers are Sca-1 and c-kit, characterizing
the HSC. The major advantage of such stem cells is the ready availability from
different sources such as bone marrow, cord blood and even from mobilized
peripheral blood. These cells can even be used for cell replacement therapy for
treating acute renal failure and can self renew or develop into the progenitors,
which are mainly precursor of various types of blood cells.

Tissue derived stem cells

Like bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells, some tissue-derived stem
cells have been exploited for regeneration. For example, liver stem cells are
unipotent having excellent regenerative potential. The ideal characteristics of liver
stem cells are the ready availability, which does not have any ethical concerns.
Simple isolation technique with a unique surface marker, able to expand in vitro,
can be cryopreserved with high viability, ability to retain the hepatocyte
differentiating potential and no chances of malignancy .

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