Tissue Engineering of Organs: Brain Tissues

Abstract

Brain tissue engineering (BTE) involves the application of a combination of replacement cells, synthetic scaffolds, and biomolecules to restore and repair damaged neuronal pathways. This strategy is of particular biological importance because of the limited capacity for self-repair in the brain following disease and/or injury, and the severe impact on the quality of life of affected patients. In BTE approaches that are on the basis of the use of scaffolds, neuronal repair must be preceded by an ability of the implanted scaffold to integrate with the host brain tissue, suppress the extent of inflammation at the injury site, and to provide a permissive and instructive environment for neuronal ..