Submitted on July 24, 2007
Accepted on October 15, 2007
Tissue Engineering: A New Frontier in Physiological Genomics
Matthew Charles Petersen1, Jozef Lazar2, Howard J Jacob3, and Tetsuro Wakatsuki4*
1 Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, United States; Biotechnology & Bioengineering Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
2 Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, United States; Dermatology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States; Human Molecular and Genetics Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, United States
3 Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, United States; Human Molecular and Genetics Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, United States; Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
4 Physiology, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, United States; Biotechnology and Bioengineering Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Rd., Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53226, United States
* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: twakatsuki{at}mcw.edu.
Considerable progress has been made in the last decade in the engineering and construction of a number of artificial tissue types. These constructs are typically viewed from the perspective of possible sources for implant and transplant materials in the clinical arena. However, incorporation of engineered tissues, often referred to as 3D cell culture, also offers the possibility for significant advancements in research for physiological genomics. These 3D systems more readily mimic the in vivo setting than traditional 2D cell culture, and offer distinct advantages over the in vivo setting for some organ systems. As an example, cardiac cells in 3D culture 1) are more accessible for siRNA studies; 2) can be engineered with specific cell types; and 3) offer the potential for high-throughput screening of gene function. Here the state-of-the-art is reviewed and the applications for engineered tissue in genomics research are proposed. The ability to use engineered tissue in combination with genomics creates a bridge between traditional cellular and in vivo studies that is critical to enabling the transition of genetic information into mechanistic understanding of disease processes.
