Biobanking of Engineered and Natural Tissues

Dear Colleagues,

There are huge potential markets for research on the diagnostic and transplantation applications of cells, tissues, and organs. A strategic assessment of the field from the Multi-Agency Tissue Engineering Science (MATES) group of federal agencies provided eight critical priorities for the field, three of which relate directly to the need for better preservation methods. Another more recent analysis of strategic directions in tissue engineering also highlighted preservation issues. Anecdotally, we have heard that another more recent MATES review has given preservation methods an even higher priority for regenerative medicine. Biobanking has the potential to save and improve many millions of lives. The last decade has seen tremendous proof-of-principle advances such as the cryopreservation of sheep ovaries, human fingers, as well as the successful storage of mammalian livers at high subzero temperatures. In this Special Issue we are seeking manuscripts on work focused on novel and innovative strategies to improve the quality of banked tissues, which may include strategies such as, but not limited to, ice-free vitrification, nanowarming, high subzero storage, nature-inspired cryotolerance, hypothermic perfusion, multi-thermic perfusion, computational modeling, ice control, isochoric cryopreservation, and methods for assessing biobanking outcomes (e.g., exciting new imaging methods). This Special Issue of Cells should improve our understanding of the potential impact of novel biobanking strategies in development, identifying where these new methods work and their current limitations. This Issue should include researchers working on autologous, allogeneic, and tissue-engineered tissue models and therapeutic products.

Dr. Kelvin G. M. Brockbank
Dr. Lia H. Campbell
Guest Editors

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