Q3 Unit 3: Decellularization Technique for Creating Artificial Organs

The process of decellularisation is used in biomedical engineering for artificial organ and tissue regeneration by isolating the extracellular matrix (ECM) of a tissue from its inhabiting cells, leaving an ECM scaffold of the original tissue.

[Taken from Decellularization: Process Overview] Researchers are able to take the tissue from a donor or cadaver, lyse and kill the cells within the tissue without damaging the extracellular components, and finish with a product that is the natural ECM scaffold that has the same physical and biochemical functions of the natural tissue. After acquiring the ECM scaffold, scientists can recellularize the tissue with potent stem or progenitor cells that will differentiate into the original type of tissue. By removing the cells from a donor tissue, the immunogenic antibodies from the donor will be removed.

The different types of treatment are:

• Physical treatments

• Chemical treatments

• Enzymatic treatments

Works Cited

Decellularization Technique. Dir. Eris Risyana. 2016. Web. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HYjpgkstgs>.

Pink, America. Decellularization: Process Overview. n.d. Web. 25 January 2016. <http://america.pink/decellularization_1213834.html>.