Question

Please describe the differences and similarities in the tissue engineering (TE) approach you would use to address the skeletal muscle deficits: volumetric muscle loss (VML) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD).

Answer 1

Tissue engineering is a process in which the cells, engineering methods, and materials are used to improve the biological tissues. the process involves the formation of new tissues by the help of the tissue scaffold.

Volumetric muscle loss (VML) is the loss of the skeletal muscle due to trauma or surgery leading to impairment of the function.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic disorder in which there is degeneration and weakening of the muscle. The condition is caused due to the absence of the dystrophin protein which is responsible for keeping the muscle cell together.

The skeletal muscle deficits have the ability to regenerate following an injury. But in congenital diseases like DMD and VML, the inherent repair mechanisms are not adequate. Tissue engineering approaches aims at the augmentation of the response of the skeletal muscle against the injury and in vitro propagation of the myogenic progenitor cells and then its implantation at the site of muscle injury.

The approach of tissue engineering for both the skeletal muscle deficits is the same in relation to the generation of the myogenic progenitor cells and then its implantation. The difference lies in the fact that the VML is the loss of muscle cell and it requires the generation of the cells for muscle regeneration while the DMD is the condition due to the absence of protein dystrophin. So, the basic difference between the approaches for the two deficits is the generation of the progenitor cells. The progenitor cell for VML will aim at the production of the muscle and the progenitor cell for DMD will aim at the production of the protein dystrophin. The satellite cells are more effective in the case of DMD and produce dystrophin extensively in mice when implanted.