Strategic Challenges in Practicing Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Strategic Challenges in Practicing Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Tissue engineering and regeneration (TER) is an ambitious goal with unprecedented potential as well as technical and non-technical challenges. Dedicated research in the field has led to the design and development of some promising biomaterial scaffolds that offer for the first time the feasibility and flexibility for engineering viable tissues. In general technologies applicable for therapeutic tissue engineering and regeneration fall in two categories; the cell-inclusive and cell-free. However, owing to the associated practical challenges such intricate, technology-intensive therapies are accessible to only few privileged aspirants. Here we discuss some of the concerns that are neither technical nor non-technical in absolute terms but call for attention to harp on the great benefits of TER therapies for the society at large.