Protocols presented in Current Protocols in Toxicology sometimes include molecular biological, biochemical, and other biological techniques that may not be fully described in this manual. Although it may be reasonable to assume that readers have at least a basic understanding of these techniques, there are times when a full step-by-step description of a procedure is helpful. This appendix lists common molecular biology techniques (some of which are described in this manual) and provides references to specific units in its sister publications Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Current Protocols in Immunology, and Current Protocols in Cell Biology, which describe the methods in more detail.

End stage organ diseases of the cardiovascular system are associated with intense individual harm, tremendous problems in medical therapy, and last but not least high socio-economic debits. The concept of “Tissue engineering” as a newly emerging interdisciplinary strategy to generate bioartificial implants thus can be taken as scientific reaction to face this serious and incriminating situation. Here, we present selected examples and concepts of the historic development, associated limitations, and prospective key activities in cardiovascular tissue engineering.

The Tissue Engineering approach has major advantages over traditional organ transplantation and circumvents the problem of organ shortage. Tissues that closely match the patient’s needs can be reconstructed from readily available biopsies and subsequently be implanted with minimal or no immunogenicity. This eventually conquers several limitations encountered in tissue transplantation approaches. This book serves as a good starting point for anyone interested in the application of Tissue Engineering. It offers a colorful mix of topics, which explain the obstacles and possible solutions for TE applications.

Injury to the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and central nervous system (CNS) may result in severe functional loss. Spontaneous regeneration is limited to small lesions within the injured PNS and is actively suppressed within the CNS. In this chapter we discuss the pathology and changes in the physiological environment following PNS/CNS injury. Several key factors such as the glial scar and inhibitory biomolecules are addressed. Neural tissue engineering approaches attempt to provide an alternative to nerve autografts, and have shown some promising regenerative outcomes. The scaffolds are designed to provide mechanical support for endogenous/transplanted cells at the lesion site, provide guidance cues to neurites and for the attachment or delivery of biomolecules that promote regeneration. Unfortunately many of the current scaffolds used for neural tissue engineering provide only limited regulation of cellular response due to insufficient control of physical support, topological stimulation, degradability and inflammatory/foreign body responses.