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“9.61x6.69” b2815 Tissue Engineering and Nanotheranostics

Chapter 1

Engineering Approaches

for Creating Skeletal Muscle

Caleb Vogt, Mitchell Tahtinen and Feng Zhao

Department of Biomedical Engineering

Michigan Technological University

Houghton, MI 49931, USA

Abstract: Engineered skeletal muscle grafts have made great

progress during the past decades, benefiting from a growing

understanding of mechanobiology and stem cell differentiation.

Current techniques are widely varied, ranging from in vitro

methods following the classical tissue engineering paradigm to

in situ approaches such as host cell recruitment. In different ways,

all of these try to supply mechanical toughness while providing

the necessary signals for differentiation and maturation of the

engineered skeletal muscle.

Keywords: Skeletal muscle, volumetric muscle loss, myogenesis,

muscle regeneration, stem cell engineering.

1. Clinical Need for Skeletal Muscle

The biomedical research community has long held an interest in engi-

neering replacements for skeletal muscles. Diseases and injuries that

result in muscle loss can lead to significant weakness and deformity,

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