Tissue engineering in animal models for urinary diversion: a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine
• Urology

Background:

• Gastrointestinal tissue is traditionally used for urinary diversion.
• Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TERM) offers potential alternative solutions.
• Clinical translation requires robust preclinical evaluation in standardized animal models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and analyze evidence on tissue-engineered constructs for urinary diversion in animal models.
• To assess the quality of reporting and identify limitations in existing studies.
• To guide future research towards clinically translatable TERM solutions.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science.
• Meta-analysis of experimental outcomes from retrieved studies (8 total).
• Assessment of study design, animal models, biomaterials, and reporting quality.

Main Results:

• High heterogeneity observed in study designs, animal models, and biomaterials.
• All studies were feasibility-focused, lacking appropriate control groups.
• Meta-analysis indicated a trend towards success in larger animals, but no optimal model was identified.
• Methodological reporting was insufficient for study replication.

Conclusions:

• Current animal models for TERM in urinary diversion may not be optimally chosen for predictive value.
• There is a critical need for controlled, comparative, long-term animal studies with standardized reporting.
• Improved research quality will reduce animal use and enhance evidence for biomedical advancements.