What is Tissue Engineering?
Tissue engineering evolved from the field of biomaterials development and refers to the practice of combining scaffolds, cells, and biologically active molecules into functional tissues. The goal of tissue engineering is to assemble functional constructs that restore, maintain, or improve damaged tissues or whole organs. Artificial skin and cartilage are examples of engineered tissues that have been approved by the FDA; however, currently they have limited use in human patients.
The Tissue Engineering Group
The Tissue Engineering Group aims to address the shortage of tissues available for repair and regeneration.
It is led by Prof. Kamal Mustafa and includes a multidisciplinary team of scientists, clinicians, and bioengineers, working in close collaboration with national and international partners. Currently, we are working to develop functional engineered bone-tissue constructs, with combinations of cells, growth factors and biomaterial scaffolds. The group has consistently received funding from national and international, including EU, agencies to partner and coordinate large pre-clinical and clinical research projects.
The group was founded in 2006 at the Dept. of Clinical Dentistry, University of Bergen, and is also part of the Bergen Stem Cell Consortium.