Membrane Bioreactors for Bio-artificial Organs

Health care request for patients with tissue loss or end-stage organ failure is increasing due to the aging of worldwide population and the development of pathologies related to organ functions. Currently, there is a pressing need for alternative therapies to organ transplantation. Great research effort is dedicated to the development of biomaterials and devices to realize bioartificial organs and tissues. In this context membrane bioreactors are able to provide adequate oxygenation and appropriate transport of nutrients to the cells offering a well-controlled microenvironment at molecular level, which is important for ensuring cell survival and functions. In these devices cells are compartmentalized and protected from shear stress phenomena by the membranes that provide all necessary biochemical, physical and mechanical cues to the tissue. For this reason they represent a chance for the restoring, maintaining or improving tissue functions as well as for the designing of in vitro physiological models (e.g., liver, pancreas, neurons, etc.). This paper reports the recent advances concerning the development of bioartificial pancreas, liver and kidney.