The ability to produce functional, three-dimensional lung tissue in the laboratory would provide a valuable source of engineered replacement tissue to treat a variety of pediatric pulmonary diseases. The engineered, 3-D pulmonary tissue constructs described in a report in the April 2006 issue of Tissue Engineering represent a successful first step in the creation of functional pulmonary tissue constructs designed for therapeutic use. Tissue Engineering is a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The paper is available free online at www.liebertpub.com/ten.
Insufficient lung development, or pulmonary hypoplasia, results in more than 2,800 newborn deaths in the U.S. each year. Functional lung tissue derived from fetal pulmonary cells and grown on a 3-D support structure in the laboratory could be used to enhance or replace under-developed or damaged lungs.
"The growth of functional three dimensional organ structures begins with proof of concept studies showing that organ subunits can successfully be generated. This work takes us a step closer to realizing this goal which we hope will be applicable to all organs in the future," says Peter C. Johnson, M.D., President and CEO of Scintellix, LLC and Co-Editor in Chief of Tissue Engineering.
M. Mondrinos, S. Koutzaki, E. Jiwanmall, et al, from Drexel University and St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, in Philadelphia, describe how a combination of 3-D cell growth on a Matrigel(TM) hydrogel support and the addition of tissue-specific growth factors can induce functional lung tissue development. In a paper entitled, "Engineering Three-Dimensional Pulmonary Tissue Constructs," the authors report on their success in creating pulmonary tissue with appropriate lung tissue morphogenesis, architecture, and branching, as well as specific gene and protein expression.
Tissue Engineering is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online that brings together scientific and medical experts in the fields of biomedical engineering, materials science, molecular and cellular biology, and genetic engineering. Tissue Engineering is the official journal of the Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS). Tables of contents and a free sample issue may be viewed online at www.liebertpub.com/ten.
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Human Gene Therapy, Stem Cells and Development, and Cloning and Stem Cells. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s 60 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available at www.liebertpub.com.
