Tissue engineering scaffolds in the treatment of brain disorders in geriatric patients

The world population is ageing at an alarming rate, currently increasing at around 3% per year for people over 60 years. This fast growing demography is largely unproductive and prone to many brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and brain tumors. Currently available treatment modalities are inadequate to stop neural degeneration or to completely eradicate cancer cells. Exogenously engineered scaffolds hold great potential for in vivo brain regeneration and functional restoration. Ideally, scaffolds for brain tissue engineering should be biocompatible, non-toxic, and electroactive with the ability to encourage neural elongation. These scaffolds have been successfully fabricated from a wide range of materials and techniques. Different types of stem cells have also been investigated for their ability to differentiate to nerve or glial tissue. The success of tissue engineering can thus be envisioned as a panacea for "retooling" of both individual's ability and for immense long-term benefit of society.