The Future of Animal Tissue Growth in Plant Scaffolds

Saanvi Nandikonda

August 20, 2022

Some biotechnicians and bioengineers work towards manipulating cells and tissues through CRISPR and alternative DNA editing technologies. Others, like researcher Andrew Pelling, look towards a more natural method of tissue regeneration.

Andrew Pelling, a biophysicist and professor at the University of Ottawa, stripped everyday fruits and vegetables of their cells and internal tissue (called decellularization), leaving only a thin exterior structure to make plant scaffolds. Animal tissue was then placed in these scaffolds. The goal of this proposed technique was to regenerate tissue in an external setting from the body, and then eventually be able to reintroduce the tissue into an ailing organ. Pelling experimented with the feasibility of this procedure by growing muscle, vascular, and neural cells in various plant scaffolds. Animal tissue seeded in the organic scaffolds grew surprisingly well. Researchers were even able to grow a fully functional ear in an apple scaffold.

Using scaffolds as a mechanism for tissue reintroduction in an ailing organ has been extensively studied for the last few years. Though, many of those experimented scaffolds were plastic, which is non-biodegradable, or biosynthetic materials that did not have a stable structure. Plant scaffolds are both biodegradable and durable, which is what makes the material so ideal for tissue reconstruction. Different types of plants also have different support structures that are left when decellularized. The varying structures make some plants more optimal for a specific tissue type than others. For instance, the straight, long capillaries (tubes) of asparagus make for the perfect scaffold to grow skeletal tissue. The branching capillaries of spinach are perfect for the assembling of neural structures.

The flexibility, simplicity, and longevity of plant scaffolds are what make plant scaffolds such an enticing option for the future of bioengineering. Though plant scaffolds are not currently being used outside of an experimental laboratory setting, new advances are being made as more studies are being done on them.