Sustainable Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

This Research Topic explores the sustainability towards tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine has been explored for years by biomedical engineering and scientists with the main goal of improving patients quality-of-life and in the search for permanent therapeutic solution of diseases. Unfortunately, during this period the main focus was the application of developed materials and not their source. Researchers now recognize that it is possible to explore sources of sustainable and environmentally friendly natural based materials with similar/improved performance than those sought after, i.e., synthetic, non-degradable or un-reusable materials. In the last decades, the tight specifications for biomaterials application in biomedicine dominated materials selection processes in order to reach faster FDA approvals. Nevertheless, the pass rate remains low. It is time to reflect on this topic and make the research on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine more circular albeit the regulatory challenges.

Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine field is a multidisciplinary science, combining materials science, cell biology, biomechanics and medicine to develop functional tissue/organ models and solutions for repair and reconstruction. Thus, the complexity of the developed tissue engineered systems can limit the researchers’ vision in exploring sustainable sources and pathways for a revolutionary science. It is our duty to change the mindset and follow this new trend in which environment, global health and circular economy can be combined.

Thus, the main goals of this Research Topic include:

1. Review the most recent developments in tissue engineering and regenerative filed in a sustainable and eco-friendly perspective;

2. Survey sustainable biomaterials options and environmentally-friendly /green methods for scaffolds processing in tissue engineering applications, in vitro modeling, and drug screening/delivery strategies;

3. Discuss recent progresses in research into sustainable cell culture methods/materials, and waste human tissue as a more valuable source of cells and a turning point for a revolutionary regenerative medicine.

Specific themes:

• Sustainable Biomaterials: Biomass and Waste-derived Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Explore the recent progresses in biomaterials sources from wastes and environmentally-friendly polymers and its regulatory challenges.

• Recycling Methods and Sustainable Technologies

Highlight the recent progresses in sustainable technologies for tissue engineering applications and recycling methods as the first step for creating new biomaterials.

• Environmentally-friendly Scaffold-based Strategies

Focus on sustainable scaffolding techniques and designs: 3D porous scaffolds, membranes and films, smart hydrogels, fiber-based and textile scaffolds, gradient scaffolds and micro-patterned surfaces.

• Waste Human Tissue as a Source of Cells and a Sustainable Option Applied in Regenerative Medicine

Value human tissue remains from surgical resections, liquid waste and blood waste as a sustainable source of cells for tissue engineering applications.

• Sustainable cell culture systems and cell-signaling compounds

Novel cell culture systems and approaches to improve sustainability in cell culture laboratories: Non-animal cell culture media, sustainable cell culture subtracts and biomolecules (i.e. bioactive ions, plant-based exosomes and non-protein molecules for triggering cell differentiation) and renewable cell culture consumables.

• Bio-Functional and Sustainable in vitro Models

Applied biotechnologies for sustainable tissue engineering systems and models: Bioreactors, microfluidic devices, computational modelling, 3D organoid models, cell-sheets, spheroids.

• Sustainable Implantable Devices and Drug Delivery Systems

Focus on sustainable tissue engineering as a progress towards clinical and commercial applications (e.g., biodegradable sensors, conductive implantable materials, micro/nanoparticles, micro/nanofluidic devices, injectable systems.

Keywords: Sustainability, Environmentally-friendly, Waste, Recycling, Biomaterials, Tissue Engineering, Regenerative Medicine

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