Biomaterial scaffolds in pediatric tissue engineering.

This article reviews recent developments and major issues in the use and design of biomaterials for use as scaffolds in pediatric tissue engineering. A brief history of tissue engineering and the limitations of current tissue-engineering research with respect to pediatric patients have been introduced. An overview of the characteristics of an ideal tissue-engineering scaffold for pediatric applications has been presented, including a description of the different types of scaffolds. Applications of scaffolds materials have been highlighted in the fields of drug delivery, bone, cardiovascular, and skin tissue engineering with respect to the pediatric population. This review highlights biomaterials as scaffolds as an alternative treatment method for pediatric surgeries due to the ability to create a functional cell-scaffold environment.