Tissue engineering using human embryonic stem cells

The possibility of using stem cells for tissue engineering has greatly encouraged scientists to design new platforms in the field of regenerative and reconstructive medicine. Stem cells have the ability to rejuvenate and repair damaged tissues and can be derived from both embryonic and adult sources. Among cell types suggested as a cell source for tissue engineering (TE), human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are one of the most promising candidates. Isolated from the inner cell mass of preimplantation stage blastocysts, they possess the ability to differentiate into practically all adult cell types. In addition, their unlimited self-renewal capacity enables the generation of sufficient amount of cells for cell-based TE applications. Yet, several important challenges are to be addressed, such as the isolation of the desired cell type and gaining control over its differentiation and proliferation. Ultimately, combing scaffolding and bioactive stimuli, newly designed bioengineered constructs, could be assembled and applied to various clinical applications. Here we define the culture conditions for the derivation of connective tissue lineage progenitors, design strategies, and highlight the special considerations when using hESCs for TE applications.