Engineered Cells and Cell-Derived Products for Tissue Defect Repair

Tissue defect repair represents a critical field within regenerative medicine, encompassing efforts to restore the structural and functional integrity of damaged tissues arising from trauma, congenital anomalies, tumor resection, infection, or degenerative diseases. Traditional reconstructive methods, such as autologous grafts or synthetic materials, are frequently constrained by donor site limitations, immune incompatibility, and suboptimal integration with host tissues. To overcome these gaps, recent advances in cellular and developmental biology, bioengineering, and materials science have led to the emergence of engineered cells and cell-derived products—such as stem cells, immune cells, organoids, extracellular vesicles, and biomimetic scaffolds—as transformative tools for tissue repair. These biologically active therapies can modulate inflammation, promote angiogenesis, and guide tissue-specific regeneration through precisely engineered cellular and molecular interactions. Despite these innovations, significant challenges remain, including limited understanding of repair mechanisms, inconsistency in manufacturing protocols, and insufficient preclinical evaluation of safety and long-term functionality. Bridging these knowledge gaps is essential to enable effective clinical translation and standardization of cell-based regenerative therapies.

This Research Topic aims to advance the integration of biological discovery and engineering innovation to enhance the repair of complex tissue defects. Its primary goal is to elucidate the mechanisms by which engineered cells and cell-derived products influence tissue regeneration, to refine design principles for their development, and to explore their translational and therapeutic potential. Key questions include how different cell types and cell-derived materials contribute to tissue-specific healing, how bioengineering can optimize their reparative capacity, and how manufacturing, delivery, and integration processes can be standardized for reproducible outcomes. The Topic further invites studies that propose novel approaches to improving immune compatibility, vascularization, and structural functionality of regenerated tissues, as well as those that shed light on the regulatory, ethical, and clinical aspects of cell-based therapies.

The scope of this Research Topic encompasses the design, functional optimization, and translational evaluation of engineered cells and cell-derived systems for tissue defect repair. It covers a wide spectrum of experimental, preclinical, and computational investigations focusing on biological mechanisms, engineering strategies, and therapeutic applications. To gather further insights into the design and deployment of reparative cell-based technologies, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

o Stem cells, immune cells, and organoid-based approaches for tissue regeneration.

o Extracellular vesicles, exosomes, and other cell-derived biomaterials for functional repair.

o Cell–matrix and cell–immune interactions in engineered tissue constructs.

o 3D bioprinting, biofabrication, and scaffold-based strategies for defect reconstruction.

o Mechanistic studies on angiogenesis, innervation, and immunomodulation in regeneration.

o Preclinical and translational evaluation models assessing safety and efficacy.

o Advanced omics, imaging, and artificial intelligence tools for monitoring tissue regeneration.

o Standardized manufacturing, quality-control, and regulatory frameworks for clinical translation.