TISSUES that mimic the complex cellular structure of organs such as the liver
have been made by researchers in Japan. With the help of an “intelligent
surface”, they can build up layer after layer of different cells. They claim the
technique could revolutionise tissue engineering.
Shaped tissues such as the famous ear grown on the back of a mouse can be
made by seeding a moulded scaffold material with cells. Recreating the complex
arrangements of different cell types found in many tissues is much more
difficult, though researchers have made bladders by “painting” two layers of
cells onto a surface.…
