• Sayin, E., Baran, E.T., Hasirci, V. (2014). Protein-based materials in load-bearing tissue-engineering  applications. Regenerative Medicine, 9(5), 687–701.  

Abstract
Proteins such as collagen and elastin are robust molecules that constitute nanocomponents in the hierarchically organized ultrastructures of bone and tendon as well as in some of the soft tissues that have load-bearing functions. In the present paper, the macromolecular structure and function of the proteins are reviewed and the potential of mammalian and non-mammalian proteins in the engineering of load-bearing tissue substitutes are discussed. Chimeric proteins have become an important structural biomaterial source and their potential in tissue engineering is highlighted. Processing of proteins challenge investigators and in this review rapid prototyping and microfabrication are proposed as methods for obtaining precisely defined custom-built tissue engineered structures with intrinsic microarchitecture.

• Kinikoglu, B., Damour, O., Hasirci, V. (2014). Tissue engineering of oral mucosa: a shared concept with skin. Journal of Artificial Organs. DOI: 10.1007/s10047-014-0798-5

Abstract

Tissue-engineered oral mucosa, in the form of epithelial cell sheets or full-thickness oral mucosa equivalents, is a potential solution for many patients with congenital defects

or with tissue loss due to diseases or tumor excision following a craniofacial cancer diagnosis. In the laboratory, it further serves as an in vitro model, alternative to in vivo testing of oral care products, and provides insight into the behavior of the oral mucosal cells in healthy and pathological tissues. This review covers the old and new generation scaffold types and materials used in oral mucosa engineering; discusses similarities and differences between oral mucosa and skin, the methods developed to reconstruct oral mucosal defects; and ends with future perspectives on oral mucosa engineering.