Expert laboratory researchers describe in a standard format all the diverse laboratory methods needed to perform state-of-the-art tissue engineering. Topics range from the synthesis, processing, and characterization of specific biomaterials, through the successful use of scaffolds in the engineering of tissues, to techniques useful in evaluating the biological quality of scaffold-engineered tissues. Topics of special interest include the incorporation of biological molecules into scaffold biomaterials and the use of a wide range of methods and techniques to generate a comprehensive description of cell-polymer construct quality.