Tissue Engineering or Guided Tissue Regeneration is regeneration of biological tissue through the use of cells that are injected into, or are attracted to, natural or fabricated supporting structures that are surgically implanted; or which may be injected. FDA considers this level as “more than minimal manipulation.” Tissue Engineering processes are more elaborate than simple cell therapies and may require complex facilities in addition to the Good Tissue Processing (GTP) facility currently under construction at UNMC. Basic teams may include cell biologists, materials engineers, and other specialists. This level of complexity of regenerative medicine lends itself well to collaborations between UNMC and engineering teams at Peter Kiewit Institute (PKI) and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. UNMC’s College of Dentistry and orthopedics teams currently are active in development of therapies for guided tissue regeneration. New developments in UNMC Pediatrics and at Children’s Hospital indicate the value of recruitment of biomedical scientists in support of UNMC research and clinical care initiatives combining cardiovascular disease, pediatrics and regenerative medicine.
