Overview

The concept of engineering tissues that are part cell and part synthetic material was proposed nearly 20 years ago. Bhatia explains why one would choose to use an engineered tissue and the challenges of engineering a tissue that reproduces the micro-architecture of tissue in vivo. She goes on to describe how the ingredients and the methods of fabrication of a hybrid tissue are chosen. 

In the second part of her talk, Bhatia tells us about research from her lab and others to develop an implantable, engineered liver. She explains the challenges of co-culturing hepatocytes and the supporting cells necessary to keep the hepatocytes functional. Her lab has successfully engineered microscale human livers that are showing promise as a mechanism to identify drugs that are toxic to the liver and to study viruses and parasites that attack the liver.

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