Perspectives on : supercritical fluid technology for the preparation of 3D scaffolds for tissue engineering applications

Supercritical fluid technology has proven to be useful for many pharmaceutical applications and is now emerging as an alternative to conventional processes for the preparation of 3D structures and injectable particles suitable to be used in regenerative medicine. A current overview of the basic principles underlying supercritical fluid technology, the state of the art and future potential of this technology are presented.Ana Rita Duarte is grateful for financial support from Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia through the grant SFRH/BPD/34994/2007 and through the project PTDC/QUI/69263/2006