Advances in Hydrogel-based Bottom-Up Tissue Engineering

Abstract

With the development of micro-/nano- bioengineering technology and novel biomaterials ( e.g. , functional hydrogels), bottom-up tissue engineering, which aims to fabricate functional tissue constructs from assembling small units, has attracted increasing interest. Bottom-up approaches hold great potential for fabricating complex and vascularized tissue constructs for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. In this review, we first illustrate the fundamental principles of bottom-up tissue engineering and then introduce different approaches for creating and assembling modular units, respectively. The advantages and disadvantages of these bottom-up tissue engineering technologies are also discussed. Finally, conclusions and future perspectives are given.