Tissue engineering for paediatric patients

The effects of oncological treatment, congenital anomalies, traumatic injuries and post-infection damage critically require sufficient amounts of tissue for structural and functional surgical reconstructions. The patient's own body is typically the gold standard source of transplant material, but in children autologous tissue is available only in small quantities and with severe morbidity at donor sites. Engineering of tissue grafts starting from a small amount of autologous material, combined with suitable surgical manipulation of the recipient site, is expected to enhance child and adolescent health, and to offer functional restoration for long-term wellbeing. Moreover, engineered tissues based on patient-derived cells represent invaluable models to investigate mechanisms of disease and to develop/test novel therapeutic approaches. In view of these great opportunities, here we introduce the currently limited successful implementation of tissue engineering in paediatric settings and discuss the open challenges in the field. A particular focus is on the specific needs and envisioned strategies in the areas of bone and osteochondral regeneration in children.