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Biomaterials and scaffolds play an essential role in tissue engineering by guiding new tissue growth in vivo and in vitro. While adaptation of existing surgical materials has fulfilled some needs in the field, new applications demand better control of bulk properties such as degradation and of surface properties that control cell interactions. Advances in molecular cell biology are driving the incorporation of new biological moieties into materials, and a set of design principles based on quantitative analysis of key cellular processes involved in regeneration is emerging. At the same time, new materials-processing methodologies are emerging to allow fabrication of these fragile materials into devices appropriate for delivery.
Linda G. Griffith (2002) studied this question.