Bioengineering lungs: An overview of current methods, requirements, and challenges for constructing scaffolds

Shahad Shakir; Tillie Louise Hackett; Leila B Mostaço-Guidolin

doi:10.3389/fbioe.2022.1011800

Bioengineering lungs: An overview of current methods, requirements, and challenges for constructing scaffolds

Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2022 Oct 28:10:1011800. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.1011800. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Shahad Shakir¹, Tillie Louise Hackett^{2

3}, Leila B Mostaço-Guidolin⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
² Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
³ Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
⁴ Department of Systems and Computer Engineering, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada.

Abstract

Chronic respiratory diseases remain a significant health burden worldwide. The only option for individuals with end-stage lung failure remains Lung Transplantation. However, suitable organ donor shortages and immune rejection following transplantation remain a challenge. Since alternative options are urgently required to increase tissue availability for lung transplantation, researchers have been exploring lung bioengineering extensively, to generate functional, transplantable organs and tissue. Additionally, the development of physiologically-relevant artificial tissue models for testing novel therapies also represents an important step toward finding a definite clinical solution for different chronic respiratory diseases. This mini-review aims to highlight some of the most common methodologies used in bioengineering lung scaffolds, as well as the benefits and disadvantages associated with each method in conjunction with the current areas of research devoted to solving some of these challenges in the area of lung bioengineering.

Keywords: 3D bioprinting; acellular lung scaffolds; artificial lung scaffolds; bioengineered lungs; bioreactors; electrospinning; recellularization; scaffolds.

Publication types

Review