Tissue engineering: challenges and opportunities.

This article reviews the key developments in the tissue engineering field over the past several years. The issues related to the development of the components of tissue-engineered products including cells, biomaterials, and biomolecules, and their integration into safe and effective products are presented. Moreover, the article outlines the challenges to the commercialization of tissue-engineered products, and highlights the ongoing efforts by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) in developing standards for tissue-engineered medical products. Furthermore, funding opportunities at the Advanced Technology Program at NIST are presented. Published 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.