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Review

Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 7, 211–224 (1 March 2006) | doi:10.1038/nrm1858

Capturing complex 3D tissue physiology in vitro

Linda G. Griffith & Melody A. Swartz

Tissue engineering has opened up the possibility of studying physiological and pathophysiological processes in vitro. The foundation of this technology is a set of design principles for building three-dimensional tissues that are based on the quantitative analyses of cell and tissue behaviour.