Operating Regenmed: Development of Better In-Theater Strategies for Handling Tissue-Engineered Organs and Tissues

Abstract

Tissue engineering ex vivo and direct cellular application with bioscaffolds in vivo has allowed surgeons to restore and establish function throughout the human body. The evidence for regenerative surgery is growing, and consequently there is a need for the development of more advanced regenerative surgery facilities. Regenerative medicine in the surgical field is changing rapidly and this must be reflected in the design of any future operating suite. The theater environment needs to be highly adaptable to account for future significant advances within the field. Development of purpose built, combined operating suites and tissue-engineering laboratories will provide the facility for modern surgeons to treat patients with organ deficits, using bespoke, regenerated constructs without the need for immunosuppression.

Keywords::

• biotechnology
• operating room
• operating theater
• reconstruction
• regeneration
• regenerative medicine
• scaffold
• stem cells
• surgery
• tissue engineering

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by the Medical Research Council (MRC) Grant MRC G1100397 (to JM Fishman), an MRC Centenary Award (to JM Fishman) and MRC grant RegenVOX G1001539 (to MA Birchall), Spark’s Children’s Charity, the Rooney Foundation, a Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity Grant (to P De Coppi) and the Royal College of Surgeons of England. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Medical Research Council (MRC) Grant MRC G1100397 (to JM Fishman), an MRC Centenary Award (to JM Fishman) and MRC grant RegenVOX G1001539 (to MA Birchall), Spark’s Children’s Charity, the Rooney Foundation, a Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity Grant (to P De Coppi) and the Royal College of Surgeons of England. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.