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Tissue engineering
Tissue engineering can perhaps be best defined as the use of a combination of cells, engineering materials, and suitable biochemical factors to improve or replace biological functions. While the semi-official definition of tissue engineering covers a broad range of applications, in practice the term has come to represent applications that repair or replace structural tissues (i.e., bone, cartilage, blood vessels, bladder, etc). These are tissues that function by virtue of their mechanical properties. A closely related (and older) field is cell transplantation. This field is concerned with the transplantation of cells that perform a specific biochemical function (e.g., an artificial pancreas, or an artificial liver). Tissue engineering solves problems by using living cells as engineering materials. These could be artificial skin that includes living fibroblasts, cartilage repaired with living chondrocytes, or other types of cells used in other ways.
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June 22, 2026
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June 21, 2026 Scientists at Baylor College of Medicine may have uncovered a promising new way to combat Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Instead of trying to stop Tau and alpha-synuclein proteins from ...
June 21, 2026 A long-term Yale study is challenging one of the biggest myths about aging. Nearly half of adults over 65 improved physically, mentally, or both over time, despite the common belief that aging means constant decline. Researchers found that people ...
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June 20, 2026 Scientists have discovered that a gene normally considered a DNA-protecting "good guy" can become dangerous when cells make too much of it. The gene, EXO1, acts like molecular scissors that help repair DNA, but when overproduced it starts cutting ...
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June 19, 2026 A newly identified molecule called OLE helped restore the brain’s immune cells to a more protective state in Alzheimer’s models. The treatment reduced toxic plaque buildup and improved memory, ...
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June 18, 2026 Scientists at Mayo Clinic have uncovered a surprising new way the kidneys conserve water, revealing a hidden backup system that works independently of the hormone long believed to control the ...
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June 17, 2026 Scientists have taken a surprising step toward unlocking regeneration in mammals, showing that the ability to rebuild complex body parts may not be lost after all—it may simply be switched off. ...
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