Fabrication and characterization techniques for decellularized organ scaffolds

Organ transplantation has often been successful for treatment of end-stage organ failure. However, the shortage of donor organ still remains problematic in clinical practices. As an alternative, the tissue-engineering approach for functional organ replacement has been extensively studied. More recently, decellularized organs have been emerged as a promising scaffold for reconstruction of the complicated organs (e.g., heart, liver, lung and kidney). The ideal decellularized organ scaffolds need to contain extracellular matrix (ECM), bioactive molecules, vascular systems and tissue microarchitecture. To fulfill these requirements, physical, chemical, and biological techniques have been adapted in the process of organ decellularization. In this review, the representative techniques for the organ decellularization and their characterization as well as considerations for implantation are discussed.