ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the field of tissue engineering and its advancements by breaking it down into its major components: cells, scaffolds, and signals Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine are at the forefront of the advancement, representing a change in the technology of healthcare. Acquiring cells represents a major challenge linked with tissue engineering of every part of the body, regardless of tissue type or strategy applied. Sources of cells can range even more than the type of cell extracted for tissue engineering applications. A major issue in tissue engineering is providing a sufficient blood supply in the initial phase post-implantation. Perhaps the most important, and most challenging, aspect of tissue engineering is the design and implementation of a proper scaffold for any particular application. There are other interesting developments in the use of materials in tissue engineering scaffolds. Tissue engineering has provided the treatment of intervertebral disc degeneration new hopes in treatment.
