Lecture 7

Question 1

What are two traditional approaches to replace ‘missing’ or damaged organs?

Answer 1

1. Allograft transplantation (kidney, heart, liver transplant)
   - Immune rejection issues
   - Lack of donors
2. Autograft transplant(e.g., heart bskinypass, grafting)
   - No immune rejection
   - Limited amount of tissue

Question 2

Nowadays what are some more innovative approaches to replace ‘missing’ or damaged organs?

Answer 2

Transplantations, cloning techniques, prosthetic limb replacements and tissue grafting

Question 3

Pacemaker function?

Answer 3

Regulates heart beat

Question 4

Defibrillator?

Answer 4

Corrects irregular heart beating

Question 5

Stem cells?

Answer 5

Unspecialised cells that have the ability to self-renew and also become, or differentiate into, a specific cell type

Question 6

Scaffold?

Answer 6

• Provides support
• A framework to support cell migration into the defect from surrounding tissues
• Serves as a delivery vehicle for exogenous cells and growth factors
• Structurally reinforce the defect to maintain the shape of the defect and prevent distortion of surrounding tissue
• Serves as a barrier to prevent the infiltration of surrounding tissue that may impede the process of regeneration

Question 7

Scaffold considerations in tissue engineering?

Answer 7

1. Biocompatibility
   - Cells must adhere to the scaffold, function normally and proliferate
   - Can’t cause an immune reaction that may lead to an inflammatory response, as the body may reject it
2. Biodegradability
   - Not intended as permanent implants
   - The by-products must be non toxic
   - Must be degradable to allow cells to produce their own ECM
3. Scaffold architecture
   - High porosity and interconnectivity allows fluid flow, nutrient delivery and waste removal