Asian Chitin Journal 2007 95 Chitosan in tissue regeneration Asian Chitin J., 3, 95-116 (2007)  SSM International Publication, India * Corresponding author: E-mail: alokray@cbme.iitd.ernet.in Review Article Chitosan in tissue regeneration POONAM VERMA 1 , VIPIN VERMA 1 , PRATIMA RAY 2 , and ALOK R. RAY 1 * 1 Centre for Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD) & All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi-110016, India 2 Department of Pediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) New Delhi-110029, India ABSTRACT Tissue engineering has established itself as a promising field which involves in the regeneration or modification of damaged tissue or organ in the human body. In almost all the cases, a scaffold material is required upon which the cells can attach, proliferate and differentiate into a tissue equivalent, structurally and functionally similar to native tissue. Many synthetic and natural polymers have found applications in engineering tissues due to their desirable properties. Chitosan, a deacetylated form of chitin, is one of the natural polymers which has been used for such applications. The present review is an effort to analyse the wide applications of chitosan/modified chitosan as a scaffold material for regenerating various tissues. Key Words: Scaffolds, chitosan, tissue engineering, polymers. INTRODUCTION Tissue engineering has emerged as a promising field to treat the loss or malfunction of a tissue. It involves design, construction, modification, growth and maintenance of the living tissues by the application of scientific principles 1 . Tissue engineering can be categorized into a) in vitro construction of bioartificial tissue from donor cells and b) in vivo modification of cell growth and function. In vitro construction of a bioartificial tissue employs the use of synthetic “scaffolds” on which cells are seeded where they