Microtissues and tridimensional cell models: A new paradigm in tissue engineering

Abstract

Regenerative medicine has brought hope to every field of medicine and dentistry, with the potential to impact on a considerable portion of the world population suffering from diseases of the locomotor system, which are the most common cause of severe pain in humans, with increased costs for public health‐care systems. However, even on a scenario of continuous search for alternatives for the repair and replacement of living tissues victimized by traumas or pathogens, the possibility of using synthetic materials such as biomaterials remains as a more realistic option when compared to therapy involving cells. In this context, three‐dimensional (3D) cell cultures and microtissues may find a role as tools to optimize the body’s own regeneration capacity, a biomedical approach that may contribute to the delivery of cells in injured tissues in addition to grafting at the morbidity site.