MicroRNAs in tissue engineering & regenerative medicine

Abstract

MicroRNA-based therapeutics have rapidly emerged in recent years as promising platforms for the treatment of genetic disorders and cancer. Perhaps less widely explored is the application of microRNAs to regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. However, microRNAs hold tremendous potential in these fields. This lack of advancement is probably triggered by the conventional mindset adopted in the field, which is to up-regulate factors in favor of regeneration as opposed to an atypical gene silencing approach. Compounded upon this may also be the fact that most studies on microRNAs have focused on the biological aspects of profiling and identifying microRNA involvement and signaling pathways. The translational use of this knowledge to engineering approaches is not directly straightforward in most cases. In this theme issue, we aim to highlight the potential of microRNA gene silencing in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. The unique requirements of tissue regeneration prompt for special considerations in gene silencing. Most obvious may be the involvement of tissue scaffolds in regenerative medicine vs. typical systemic delivery of microRNAs for genetic disorders and cancer therapies.