Bioartificial constructs

Volland, N. A., T. H. Mareci. et al. 2010. Development of an inductively-coupled MR system for imaging and spectroscopic analysis of an implantable bioartificial construct at 11.IT. Magn Reson Med 63 998-1006. 

Tse, H.F., Xue, T., Lau, C.P., Siu, C.W., Wang, K., Zhang, Q.Y., et al. Bioartificial sinus node constructed via in vivo gene transfer of an engineered pacemaker HCN Channel reduces the dependence on electronic pacemaker in a sick-sinus syndrome model. Circulation 114(10), 1000-1011 (2006)... 

Over 50 types of cells, tissue constructs, and even tissue explants have been cultured in these bioreactors, which appear to be ideally suited to promote the expression of tissue-specific functions in the cultured cells and preserve the three-dimensional morphological characteristics of the native tissue. Thus, this system should be useful to create and maintain bioartificial tissues to be subsequently implanted in vivo. On the other hand, these devices would not be appropriate for tissue engineering applications requiring a combination of very high cell densities and very low liquid hold-up volumes, such as in the case of extracorporeal bioartificial livers. 

---