Tracheal Tissue Engineering

Abstract

The reconstruction of a large tracheal defect requires invasive procedures followed by difficult post-operative management. As such, establishment of a safe and easy procedure for tracheal reconstruction has long been a challenge for head and neck surgeons and thoracic surgeons. With recent developments in regenerative and biomedical engineering, various therapeutic strategies have been tried to reconstruct/regenerate the trachea. Moreover, procedures such as implantation of decellularized allograft and tracheal transplantation have actually been applied in clinical settings. In addition, an in situ tissue regeneration-inducing artificial trachea made of polypropylene and collagen and implant-type tissue-engineered cartilage made of auricular chondrocytes and a polylactic acid scaffold have been developed in Japan, and their safety and efficacy have been examined by clinical trials. Although no procedure for tracheal reconstruction has yet been established, the recent remarkable advances in biomedical engineering raise expectations of early establishment of tracheal regenerative medicine.