Engineering human tissues for in vivo applications

Tissue engineering is a rapidly developing field. This technology could offer a new alternative for wound repair and organ replacement. It is based on the ability of living cells, with or without biomaterials, to be assembled as three-dimensional tissues. The in vivo applications extend from specialized dressings that improve host tissue repair (e.g., ulcer) to permanent grafts that restore the function of the tissue (e.g., skin grafting for burn patients)