The use of electric fields in tissue engineering

Abstract

The use of electric fields for measuring cell and tissue properties has a long history. However, the exploration of the use of electric fields in tissue engineering is only very recent. A review is given of the various methods by which electric fields may be used in tissue engineering, concentrating on the assembly of artificial tissues from its component cells using electrokinetics. A comparison is made of electrokinetic techniques with other physical cell manipulation techniques which can be used in the construction of artificial tissues.