Personalized Regenerative Reconstruction of the Urethra and Bladder: Recellularized Decellularized Scaffolds and Automated Bioreactor Maturation

Urethral and bladder reconstruction is increasingly moving toward regenerative, patient-specific strategies that can restore tissue structure and function rather than replace it with inert materials. Decellularized extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds preserve native 3D architecture and tissue-specific biochemical cues, while recellularization with patient-derived cells (autologous primary cells, iPSC-derived lineages, or organoid-based approaches) offers a route to biologically personalized grafts with reduced immunogenic risk. Despite progress, clinical translation remains limited by variability in decellularization outcomes, inconsistent cell engraftment and spatial organization, and a lack of standardized maturation protocols that reliably yield functional urologic tissue. In parallel, bioengineering advances—automated perfusion and stretch bioreactors, integrated sensing, real-time feedback control, and AI-assisted optimization - are enabling tighter control of biochemical and biomechanical cues during tissue maturation. This Research Topic will focus primarily on urethral and bladder tissue engineering while also highlighting enabling innovations that improve reproducibility, scalability, and translational readiness. We aim to connect clinically relevant urologic needs with robust workflows spanning scaffold preparation, defined cell sourcing, functional readouts (e.g., urothelial barrier function, compliance, contractility), and quality frameworks that support eventual GMP/GLP pathways. By bringing together clinicians, biologists, engineers, and computational researchers, this collection seeks to accelerate clinically meaningful, patient-matched regenerative implants for lower urinary tract reconstruction.This Research Topic welcomes Original Research, Reviews, Methods, Perspectives, and Brief Research Reports on personalized regenerative reconstruction of the urethra and bladder, with particular emphasis on clinically relevant decellularization/recellularization strategies and functional maturation. Topics of interest include:• Urethral and bladder decellularization: tissue-specific protocols, preservation of ECM architecture, removal of immunogenic components, and reproducibility across batches/donors• Patient-specific recellularization and cell sourcing: autologous urothelial and smooth muscle cells, iPSC-derived lineages, organoid-based approaches, co-cultures, and strategies to improve engraftment and spatial organization• Functional maturation and validation relevant to lower urinary tract reconstruction: urothelial barrier function, compliance/elasticity, contractility, patency, integration, remodeling, and long-term performance in appropriate models• Bioreactor-based conditioning tailored to urethra/bladder needs: perfusion, cyclic stretch, flow/pressure conditioning, and methods to standardize maturation protocols for urologic tissues• Quality, safety, and translational readiness: sterility assurance, biomechanical testing, imaging and histological QA/QC, release criteria, and early considerations for GMP/GLP-aligned workflows• Personalized design pipelines supporting reconstruction: Patient anatomy modeling, imaging-guided construct shaping, scaffold modification, and 3D printing/bioprinting augmentation when used to enable urologic reconstruction We encourage submissions from urologists, reconstructive surgeons, cell and tissue biologists, bioengineers, and computational scientists, especially work that links engineering advances to measurable urethral and bladder function. Topic editors: Stanislav Ziaran, Lubos Danisovic, Niels Hammer Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/79770/personalized-regenerative-reconstruction-of-the-urethra-and-bladder-recellularized-decellularized-scaffolds-and-automated-bioreactor-maturation