Clinical translation of autologous cell-based tissue engineering techniques as Class III therapeutics in China: Taking cartilage tissue engineering as an example

Autologous cell-based tissue engineering (TE) techniques have been clinically approved for approximately 4 years in China, since the first cartilage TE technique was approved for clinical use by the Zhejiang Health Bureau. TE techniques offer a promising alternative to traditional transplantation su...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Wei Zhang, Boon Chin Heng, Yang-Zi Jiang, Hong-Wei Ouyang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2014-04-01
Series:Journal of Orthopaedic Translation
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214031X14000217
Description
Summary:Autologous cell-based tissue engineering (TE) techniques have been clinically approved for approximately 4 years in China, since the first cartilage TE technique was approved for clinical use by the Zhejiang Health Bureau. TE techniques offer a promising alternative to traditional transplantation surgery, and are different from those for transplanted tissues (biologics or pharmaceutical), the clinical translational procedures are unique and multitasked, and the requirements may differ from those of the target tissues. Thus, the translational procedure is still unfamiliar to most researchers and needs further improvement. This perspectives paper describes the key guidelines and regulations involved in the current translational process, and shares our translational experiences in cartilage TE to provide an example of autologous cell-based TE translation in China. Finally, we discuss the scientific and social challenges and provide some suggestions for future improvements.
ISSN:2214-031X