Almost 40 Years of Tissue Engineering in Russia: Where Are We Now?

This review describes achievements of Russian cell-based regenerative medicine in different periods of time depending on the legislation and politics, and future prospects for its commercialization and wide application with an emphasis on products devised for skin regeneration. The world's experience in tissue engineering began with the development of living skin equivalents, utilizing a biopolymer matrix and cells at the very beginning of the 1980s. During this period, the USSR kept abreast with the times and also conducted studies on skin wound healing, implementing modern cell techniques. However, there soon emerged a gap between scientific advancement and practical application. Due to bureaucratic and economic reasons, investigations of Russian scientists posed significant deterrents in blocking the way to large-scale, legal and clinical use. After the breakup of the USSR, there were no institutions that could implement scientific inventions into full-scale manufacturing for clinical application. At the same time, accumulating scientific and practical experience allowed for the maintenance of biomedical research and its readiness for market entry at present. Recently developed legislation opens up new opportunities in this field in Russia. There are a growing number of studies on the development of novel products for regenerative medicine, bringing hope for its rapid progress.