High-resolution imaging techniques in tissue engineering

Tissue engineering is a rapidly growing multidisciplinary field promising to improve human health via the development of biological substitutes and regeneration of damaged tissues. Monitoring and evaluation of the scaffold formation, cell migration, and tissue growth are essential and critical aspects for successful engineering and regeneration of tissues and organs. Among these, high-resolution imaging and assessment techniques for tissue engineering are indispensable due to the superior capacity to visualize and analyze detailed morphological and functional information of tissues and cells. In this chapter, we focus on the imaging techniques that have microscale or submicroscale spatial resolution and that are capable of live, nondestructive characterization of tissues and cells. We describe the basics of these techniques, review the features that are useful for tissue engineering, comment on the limitations, and discuss the major applications, aiming to provide a valuable reference for the researchers working in this exciting field.