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Essay / Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells
Developed in the late 1980s, tissue engineering now promises to improve, repair and replace damaged cells. The field of tissue engineering is growing rapidly with technological advancements and becoming a major part of biotechnology. and the medical industry. This type of engineering mainly combines cellular and molecular biology with mechanical and chemical engineering. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering describes tissue engineering as a field that grew out of biomaterials and the practice of combining scaffolds, cells, and biologically active elements. molecules into functional groups. The ultimate goal is to restore, repair, enhance or replace damaged tissue, or even the entire organ in some cases. Approved by the Food and Drug Administration, artificial skin and cartilage are some examples of man-made tissues. Regenerative medicine is a field that not only incorporates tissue engineering, but also includes research into self-healing; the body uses its own systems, sometimes with foreign biological material, to recreate cells and rebuild tissues and organs. Although this field continues to evolve, we have not yet reached the point where we can completely heal an injury to our body's central nervous system. . Cells are called the building blocks of tissues, and tissues are the basic functional unit of the body. Cells secrete their own support structures called extracellular matrix. Not only does this matrix, also called scaffolding, support the cell, it also acts as a relay station that helps signal various message molecules. Each signal can trigger a chain of responses that determines what would happen. Scientists understand how individual cells respond to signals, interact with the environment, and organize themselves into tissues and organs. Current research focuses on manipulating these processes to repair damaged tissues and even create new artificial ones (National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering). Most treatments for damaged cells in the brain or spinal cord aim to relieve symptoms and limit further damage. Recent studies on the mechanisms of central nervous system regeneration, including the discovery of stem cells in the adult brain capable of regeneration, have given the medical industry hope and broadened its horizon: researchers and scientists can find ways to actually repair damage to the central nervous system. The mid-1990s learned that parts of the human brain generate new neurons, at least under certain circumstances (NIH-National Institute of Health). New neurons come from “neural stem cells” present in the fetal and adult brain. These undifferentiated cells resemble the cells of the developing fetus that give rise to the brain and spinal cord (NIH). Research has found that these stem cells can generate most cell types found in the brain, including message-carrying neurons. Cells derived from embryonic stem cells can restore movement and sensory perception, according to a recent study from Johns Hopkins University. in an animal suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). This disease destroys special cells in the spinal cord called motor neurons,).