Whole-Organ Tissue Engineering: No Longer Just a Dream

Purpose of Review: The true potential of the field of transplant surgery remains limited due to shortages of available transplantable allografts and, following transplantation, acute and chronic rejection with need for lifelong immune suppression. An alternative approach is to bioengineer organs to be utilized in vivo, replacing diseased or malfunctioning human organs. This revolutionary step in medicine could have virtually unlimited therapeutic potential. Recent Findings: Multiple strategies have been used to replicate functional transplantable organs without deleterious host immune response. Common approaches include the use of decellularized tissue scaffolds and of 3D bioprinting. Continuing challenges include engraftment and maturation of recipient cells, and long-term tissue viability and function. Summary: We will review in brief the history of the field and the progress to date with multiple organ systems, highlighting our personal experience in lung regeneration. Finally, we will discuss the challenges that lie ahead to reach the dream of fully functional and transplantable bioengineered organs.