2Dearth CL. Eighth symposium on biologic scaffolds for regenerative medicine. Regen Med. 2014;9(5):569-72. doi: 10.2217/rme.14.41.
The use of biologic scaffolds (e.g., extracellualar matrix materials) to facilitate restoration of tissue form and function after injury has been successfully translated to the clinic. Every two years, a symposium is held regarding the use of biologic scaffolds for regenerative medicine applications. During the symposium, a wide array of tissue systems, including cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, urologic, dermatologic, musculoskeletal and the central nervous system were discussed with plenary sessions focused topics such as, whole organ engineering, variables that influence the host remodeling response, fundamental concepts of cell-scaffold interactions, tissue source and processing/manufacturing methods, role of the innate immune response and outcomes of human clinical applications. The symposium offered the opportunity for clinicians and researchers to present new data on the use of biologic scaffold materials for regenerative medicine applications, which has application to patients who have had an amputation or have a large scale tissue loss.2