Abstract
Tissue engineering holds promise for replacing tissues lost to injury, disease or birth defects. Some approaches to tissue engineering for human implantation use fetal cells, which entail ethical considerations, or unmatched donor cells that can be rejected. Our approach is based on combining a patient's own ("autologous") cells with a biocompatible matrix having tailored micron-scale geometry. The optimum result is a family of prefabricated grafts that become integrated into the body without need for major donor site surgery. The technique is applicable for a broad range of needs, from single tissues (e.g.: peripheral nerve) to complex organs (e.g.: hands).