Biomaterials and Regenerative Medicine in Urology

Application of regenerative medicine and 3d bioprinting in urology

In the last two decades, a new purpose has collected great efforts from scientists in all branches of medicine. It is about the possibility to make the body regenerate ill tissues and organs by itself with de right artificial stimuli or the construction of new functional organs to replace the damaged ones. This process comprises various interdisciplinary approaches to healthcare, such as tissue engineering, molecular medicine, biotechnology, and three-dimensional printing. Urologists have been remarkably active in this field of medicine called Regenerative Medicine. The searching of the different requirements like suitable and compatible biomaterials, versatile cells, adequate techniques to construct tissues, available biomolecules, and the knowledge of all these minimizing risks, are some of the aims and the approximations until now. Despite many obstacles, in vitro and in vivo studies are already showing encouraging options. We will review the advances related to the bladder, urethra, ureter, and kidneys. Difficulties such as ethical issues, time investment and high costs, have been some of the drawbacks encountered. Further studies are still required for its clinical application in daily life.

Stem-cell regenerative medicine as applied to the penis

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine has emerged as a new scientific interdisciplinary field focusing on developing new strategies to repair or recreate tissues and organs. This review gathers findings on erectile dysfunction and, Peyronie's disease from recent preclinical and clinical studies under heading of stem-cell regenerative medicine.

RECENT FINDINGS

Over the last 2 years, preclinical studies on rat models demonstrated the tangible beneficial role of stem cells and stromal vascular fraction in the context of preventing fibrosis and restoring erectile function in different animal models of Erectile dysfunction and Peyronie's disease. There are not solid evidences in the clinical settings.

SUMMARY

Large randomized, double blind clinical trials are needed to prove the efficacy of stem-cell therapy on human patients. Owing to the lack of solid evidences, the stem-cell therapy should be only administrated in a clinical research setting.

Future Research Directions in the Design of Versatile Extracellular Matrix in Tissue Engineering

Native and artificial extracellular matrices (ECMs) have been widely applied in biomedical fields as one of the most effective components in tissue regeneration. In particular, ECM-based drugs are expected to be applied to treat diseases in organs relevant to urology, because tissue regeneration is particularly important for preventing the recurrence of these diseases. Native ECMs provide a complex in vivo architecture and native physical and mechanical properties that support high biocompatibility. However, the applications of native ECMs are limited due to their tissue-specificity and chemical complexity. Artificial ECMs have been fabricated in an attempt to create a broadly applicable scaffold by using controllable components and a uniform formulation. On the other hands, artificial ECMs fail to mimic the properties of a native ECM; consequently, their applications in tissues are also limited. For that reason, the design of a versatile, hybrid ECM that can be universally applied to various tissues is an emerging area of interest in the biomedical field.