Differentiation of respiratory epithelium in a 3-dimensional co-culture with fibroblasts embedded in fibrin gel.

Background Tracheal tissue engineering is a promising option for the treatment of tracheal defects. In a previous study we proved the suitability of fibrin gel as a scaffold for tracheal tissue engineering. This study investigates whether the differentiation of respiratory epithelium can be increased by culturing epithelial cells in a three dimensional system containing fibroblasts embedded into fibrin gel.