Modified collagen fleece, a scaffold for transplantation of human bladder smooth muscle cells.

Several congenital and acquired diseases of the human genito-urinary tract may need, due to lack or destruction of functional tissues, mechanically stable biomaterials as cell carriers for the engineering of these tissues. When using collagen scaffolds, both their capacity to induce tissue regeneration and their biocompatibility are advantageous characteristics to render them apt for tissue engineering. The attachment of extracellular matrix or serum proteins to their surfaces does further improve these characteristics, mimicking a close to natural cell environment.