Growth factor release from tissue engineering scaffolds

Synthetic scaffold materials are used in tissue engineering for a variety o f applications, including physical supports for the creation of functional tissues, protective gels to aid in wound healing and to encapsulate cells f or localized hormone-delivery therapies. In order to encourage successful t issue growth, these scaffold materials must incorporate vital growth factor s that are released to control their development. A major challenge lies in the requirement for these growth factor delivery mechanisms to mimic the i n-vivo release profiles of factors produced during natural tissue morphogen esis or repair. This review highlights some of the major strategies for cre ating scaffold constructs reported thus far, along with the approaches take n to incorporate growth factors within the materials and the benefits of co mbining tissue engineering and drug delivery expertise.