Editing Tissue engineering (section)

===Self-assembly===
Self-assembly methods have been shown to be promising methods for tissue engineering. Self-assembly methods have the advantage of allowing tissues to develop their own extracellular matrix, resulting in tissue that better recapitulates biochemical and biomechanical properties of native tissue. Self-assembling engineered articular cartilage was introduced by Jerry Hu and [[Kyriacos A. Athanasiou]] in 2006<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Hu JC, Athanasiou KA | title = A self-assembling process in articular cartilage tissue engineering | journal = Tissue Engineering | volume = 12 | issue = 4 | pages = 969–79 | date = April 2006 | pmid = 16674308 | doi = 10.1089/ten.2006.12.969 }}</ref> and applications of the process have resulted in engineered cartilage approaching the strength of native tissue.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Lee JK, Huwe LW, Paschos N, Aryaei A, Gegg CA, Hu JC, Athanasiou KA | title = Tension stimulation drives tissue formation in scaffold-free systems | journal = Nature Materials | volume = 16 | issue = 8 | pages = 864–73 | date = August 2017 | pmid = 28604717 | pmc = 5532069 | doi = 10.1038/nmat4917 | bibcode = 2017NatMa..16..864L }}</ref> Self-assembly is a prime technology to get cells grown in a lab to assemble into three-dimensional shapes. To break down tissues into cells, researchers first have to dissolve the extracellular matrix that normally binds them together. Once cells are isolated, they must form the complex structures that make up our natural tissues.{{cn|date=April 2025}}