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There has been a tremendous growth in the use of biomaterials serving as cellular scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. Recently, advanced material strategies have been developed to incorporate structural, mechanical, and biochemical signals that can interact with the cell and the in vivo environment in a biologically specific manner. In this article, strategies such as the use of composite materials and material processing methods to better mimic the extracellular matrix, integration of mechanical and topographical properties of materials in scaffold design, and incorporation of biochemical cues such as cytokines in tethered, soluble, or time-released forms are presented. Finally, replication of the dynamic forces and biochemical gradients of the in vivo cellular environment through the use of microfluidics is highlighted., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Tissue engineering approaches, with the goals of replacing or recovering damaged or diseased tissues, or of reconstituting tissues in vitro for disease modeling and drug development, have the potential to make significant contributions to medicine. Advances in stem cell biology, biomaterial synthesis and characterization, and microscale technologies have made engineered tissues a reality. However, the classic tools used to build tissues in the lab do not allow for complete control of cell behaviors. More recently, synthetic biology principles have developed robust and versatile approaches to program cells with artificial genetic circuits, where cell behavior and function can be manipulated. At the interface between synthetic biology and tissue engineering, there is space for a new area of investigation where material engineering and cellular engineering complement and sustain each other. In this progress report, synthetic biology principles and how they have been used to engineer cells with potential to dictate cell behavior and function in tissue constructs of the future are briefly described. It is believed that this research area still needs further exploration to fully exploit synthetic biology to make smart and functional cellular constructs for therapeutic and in vitro applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]