Bone-tissue repair and regeneration

Principal therapies for bone defects and injuries include bone-tissue transplantation, artificial prosthesis implantation and tissue-engineering treatments. Autologous transplantation of cells and tissue is the gold standard (Healy and Guldberg, 2007). The scarcity of autologous tissue, however, limits its further application (Healy and Guldberg, 2007). Therefore, much effort has been put into the development of other approaches. 

Artificial prostheses serve as substitutes for damaged bone tissue. Although these can significantly improve the quality of life of many patients, failure often occurs (Rose and Oreffo, 2002). Unsatisfactory long-term biocompatibility and chronic inflammation are major challenges. 

---