Introduction
Regenerative medicine is a promising area of research that focuses on restoring and repairing diseased or damaged cells, tissue or organs. It is a branch of medicine comprising tissue engineering and regenerative strategies, such as the generation and use of therapeutic stem cells, tissue engineering and the production of artificial organs. This article focusses on current tissue engineering strategies and some of the latest work on immunomodulation as a window into the exciting field of regenerative medicine.
What is regenerative medicine?
Sometimes our cells, tissues and organs do not work as they should. A loss of optimal function can occur because of injury or disease. Or it can simply be the result of natural aging. The major goal of regenerative medicine is to develop strategies to repair, regrow or replace damaged or diseased cells, organs or tissues. The overall aim is to rejuvenate human biomaterials such that proper function is restored.
Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine-based approaches typically involve the use of a combination of scaffolds, cells, and bioactive molecules. Traditional approaches have largely focussed on biomaterials, stem cells and growth factors and, more recently, in addition to these areas there has been a move toward an immune-centric approach.
An immune-centric approach
At present the gold standard method in regenerative medicine is that of autografting (where the patient’s own tissues are used to promote healing). This technique is not without problems especially, but not exclusively, rejection of the graft. The problems encountered here has encouraged the search for alternative methods. One avenue is that of our own immune system. There is growing evidence to suggest that active control of the immune system offers a promising therapeutic approach to regeneration. A better understanding of the immune mechanisms at work in tissue regeneration could help us understand the processes by which grafts (and also biomaterials) are rejected. It is a process that causes a lot of pain for patients in addition to the time and cost implications.
We need to know more about the function of immune components in tissue healing to be able to identify potential targets for successful regenerative medical strategy. The immune response to tissue damage is critical to assessing the integrity of the healing process. The mechanisms involved here remain yet complex and mysterious.
The immune response comprises both innate and adaptive immunity. A whole host of molecules play a part. Here we will briefly recap on some of the main actors. First to consider innate immunity and this response is the body’s first line defence against foreign invaders. Innate immunity comprises the macrophages and neutrophils among other molecules. In addition to engulfing foreign objects, these cells stimulate the inflammatory response. They work to clear away cellular debris, remodel the extracellular matrix (ECM) and synthesize cytokines. The second line of defence is that of adaptive immunity, and here the T-cells play a key role in addition to a whole host of other molecules.
Although the two processes (innate and adaptive immunity) have largely been considered independent of one another, in actual fact research shows there is much overlap between the two. The major actors involved in the modulation of tissue healing are made up of danger signals (endogenous molecules released in response to stress, including damage-associated molecular patterns or DAMPs), neutrophils and macrophages.
Recently remarkable strides have been made in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms of tissue healing. These range on a spectrum between that of incomplete healing and that of repair. Here we see scarring and fibrosis as a feature on the one end of the spectrum and complete restoration or regeneration on the other.
Here we will consider two current strategies at the forefront of investigation into immunomodulation in regenerative medicine, involving the use of (2) biomaterials and (2) scaffolds.
Biomaterials, immunity and regenerative medicine
Biomaterials, such as metals, ceramics, polymers and composites, are a foreign object to the human body and so, like autografting, pose a risk of rejection. This may be heightened when such materials are put to work independently, as in the case of metallic implants.
An alternative approach to this is the delivery biomaterials via immune components acting as immunomodulators. The response may be a positive or negative one (i.e., pro- or anti- inflammatory). This works accordance with the physicochemical properties of the biomaterial pertaining to the following criteria: (1) form (solid, hydrogel or micro/nano particles) (2) level of crosslinking and degradability (3) hydrophobicity (4) topography (5) nature (natural or synthetic).
Another strategy for immune modulation is that of the decellularized ECM. Using excised tissues, cells are separated from the ECM to leave a scaffold. The artificially rendered structure is influential upon cellular processes and can function to create pro-regenerative conditions. In this area of research bioengineered livers using decellularized scaffolds have been studied. Here the biophysical properties of scaffolds have been modulated through crosslinking with nano-graphene oxide. This has been shown to be successful in enhancing the therapeutic capacity of the liver. This new technique is a promising alternative to organ donation.
References
Julier, Z. et al. (2017) Promoting tissue regeneration by modulating the immune system. Acta Biomaterialia. Doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2017.01.056
Kim,D. H. et al. (2023) Bioengineered liver crosslinked with nano-graphene oxide enables efficient liver regeneration via MMP suppression and immunomodulation. Nat. Commun. Doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-35941-2
Petrus-Reurer, S. et al. (2021) Immunological considerations and challenges for regenerative cellular therapies. Commun. Biol. Doi: 10.1038/s42003-021-02237-4
This article is also available on the site ‘News Medical & Life Sciences’ Here is a link to the piece.