Bioengineering Tissues in Reconstructive Surgery

Bioengineering tissues for reconstructive surgery provides patients suffering from deformities, burns, and trauma scars the opportunity for more personalized treatment options involving repairing or replacing damaged tissues. While skin transplants have been more commonly used, they often come with disadvantages such as limited donor tissue, the risk of the body rejection, infection, and long-term health complications. Tissue engineering is an alternative that addresses many prior limitations while providing new and improved tissues that allow the organ to be restored to its old natural function and the body to look normal again. 

Engineering new tissues involves scaffolds, cells, and signaling molecules. Scaffolds provide a 3D structure to support tissue attachment and development by the cells and signaling molecules, which work together to regenerate new tissue. Other biological materials are commonly used to mimic the extracellular matrix (a network of molecules that supports cells in tissues) and provide a base, which are then broken down as the new tissue forms, allowing the body to replace the scaffold with its own natural structures over time. Signaling molecules guide this process by directing how the cells grow, divide, and specialize. 

An example in which bioengineered tissues are used is skin regeneration for burn victims. Severe burns often destroy or mutilate large areas of skin, preventing its essential function, which is protecting the body from external threats. Another example would be extreme trauma caused by an accident, impairing certain organs' abilities to function correctly. Tissue reconstruction is essential in these scenarios as it greatly helps the patient by encouraging the growth of new skin cells, allowing new tissues to be made and restoring the damaged area. These bioengineered tissues help reduce scarring and promote faster healing, while also restoring the skin’s natural function.

Bioengineering tissues for reconstructive surgery has paved the way for more advancements in surgical technology, creating more effective and innovative treatment options. Creating new tissues that were destroyed from past trauma has allowed people recovering to regain their confidence and improve their overall well-being. As research continues to evolve, technologies offer new solutions in ways that traditional surgical methods cannot always achieve, ultimately improving outcomes and quality of life.

Written by Sofia Bonilla at Incisionary

APA References

Badylak, S. F., Taylor, D., & Uygun, K. (2012). Whole-organ tissue engineering: Decellularization and recellularization of three-dimensional matrix scaffolds. Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering, 13, 27–53. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-bioeng-071910-124743

Shevchenko, R. V., James, S. L., & James, S. E. (2010). A review of tissue-engineered skin bioconstructs available for skin reconstruction. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 7(43), 229–258. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2009.0403

Atala, A. (2010). Engineering organs. Current Opinion in Biotechnology, 21(5), 667–675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2010.08.001