In the U.S., 525,000 horseshoe crabs ( Limulus polyphemus ) per year have been captured during 2013–2017, brought to biomedical facilities, and bled to produce Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL), then mostly released to the area of capture. The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission estimates short-term bleeding-induced mortality to be 15% (4% to 30%), resulting in mortality of approximately 78,750 horseshoe crabs annually in...

Current surgical reconstruction for soft tissue replacement involves lipotransfer to restore soft tissue replacements but is limited by survival and longevity of the fat tissue. Alternative approaches to overcome these limitations include using biodegradable scaffolds with stem cells with growth factors to generate soft tissue. Adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) offer great potential to differentiate into adipose, and can be d...

Current techniques for breast reconstruction include an autologous-tissue flap or an implant-based procedure, although both can impose further morbidity. This systematic review aims to explore the existing literature on breast reconstruction using a tissue engineering approach; conducted with the databases Medline and Embase. A total of 28 articles were included, mainly comprising of level-5 evidence with in vitro and animal s...