Abstract
There is an ever-growing demand for transplantable organs to replace acute and chronically damaged tissues. This demand cannot be met by the currently available donor organs. Efforts to provide an alternative source have led to the development of organ engineering, a discipline that combines cell biology, tissue engineering, and cell/organ transplantation. Over the last several years, engineered organs have been implanted into rodent recipients and have shown modest function. In this article, we summarize the most recent advances in this field and provide a perspective on the challenges of translating this promising new technology into a proven regenerative therapy.
Authors
Alejandro Soto-Gutierrez, Jason A. Wertheim, Harald C. Ott, Thomas W. Gilbert
Figure 1
Schematic representation of the paradigm of regenerative medicine showing the conversion of whole-organ decellularization with cellular developmental biology and biomedical engineering.
Copyright © 2026 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)