Orthopedic biomaterials tissue engineering

J. Temenoff, A. Mikos, Injectable biodegradable materials for orthopedic tissue engineering. Biomaterials 21 (2000) 2405-2412. 

Markets.com, M. Biomaterials Market [By Products (Polymers, Metals, Ceramics, Natural Biomaterials) Applications (Cardiovascular, Orthopedic, Dental, Plastic Surgery, Wound Healing, Tissue Engineering, Ophthalmology, Neurology Disorders)]—Global Forecasts to 2017. 2013. 

Curtis A, Wilkinson C (1997) Topographical control of cells. Biomaterials 18(24) 1573-1583 Fan D, De Rosa E, Murphy MB, Peng Y, Smid CA, Chiappini C, Liu X, Simmons P, Weiner BK, Ferrari M, Tasciotti E (2012) Mesoporous silicon-PLGA composite microspheres for the double controlled release of biomolecules for orthopedic tissue engineering. Adv Funct Mater 22(2) 282-293... 

Dr. Mikos research focuses on the synthesis, processing, and evaluation of new biomaterials for use as scaffolds for tissue engineering, as carriers for controlled drug delivery, and as nonviral vectors for gene therapy. His work has led to the development of novel orthopedic, dental, cardiovascular, neurological. 

As an extension to this surface-modification method, researchers have utilized plasma polymerization of acrylic acid to immobilize biologically active molecules, such as recombinant human bone formation protein-2 (rhBMP-2). rhBMP-2 is a signaling molecule that promotes bone formation by osteoinduction that has been utilized for various orthopedic tissue-engineering applications (Kim et al., 2013). One research group modified a PCL scaffold surface with plasma-polymerized acrylic acid (PPAA) and rhBMP-2 via electrostatic interactions (Kim et al., 2013) (which is outside of the scope of this chapter). This interesting approach may be apphed to the surface modification of solid fillers and provide additional benefits compared to the surface-modification techniques currently utihzed in orthopedic polymeric biocomposite development. The acrylic acid and rhBMP-2-modifled surface showed improved cell attachment and adhesion compared to the surface with acrylic acid alone. The ability to modify the surface of a solid-filler particle in a polymeric biocomposite with a bioactive molecule, such as rhBMP-2, provides a delivery vehicle for the bioactive molecule to the polymeric biocomposite and the eventual implantation site of this biomaterial. Such surface-modification and immobihzation approaches may provide a method to control the release kinetics of attached molecules to the localized bone-defect site. 

Nanocomposites in orthopedic tissue engineering mimic the complex nanoarchitecture of natural bone, muscle, cartilage, and tendon tissue, providing a novel and practical approach to tissue regeneration. All ceramic, polymer, and metallic matrix nanocomposites offer a wide range of properties with different chemical and mechanical features they also exhibit indispensable bioactivity. There is a great potential to improve current biomaterials and nanocomposite scaffolds for musculoskeletal tissue regeneration. However, the variety of different chemical elements and structures of nanocomposites make it difficult to predict unknown outcomes of exposure to musculoskeletal tissue. More research is clearly needed to fully understand favorable nanocomposite chemistries for musculoskeletal tissue. 

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