ECM has been viewed as a support structure upon which cells orient and move themselves in response to other cells. But ECM is more than that. It also provides the architectural structure and the environment necessary for tissue repair.
The tissue repair processes occur through the coordinated activity of the cells that reside within the ECM.
As the ECM is necessary for tissue maintenance, it also plays a major role in tissue repair. Without a functional ECM, repair is stalled, as the ECM is no longer able to support the normal cellular processes.
