The Synergy of Scaffold-Based and Scaffold-Free Tissue Engineering Strategies

Tissue engineering (TE) is a highly interdisciplinary research field driven by the goal to restore, replace, or regenerate defective tissues. Throughout more than two decades of intense research, different technological approaches, which can be principally categorized into scaffold-based and scaffold-free strategies, have been developed. In this opinion article, we discuss the emergence of a third strategy in TE. This synergetic strategy integrates the advantages of both of these traditional approaches, while being clearly distinct from them. Its characteristic attributes, numerous practical benefits, and recent literature reports supporting our opinion, are discussed in detail.