Biomedical Implants for Regenerative Therapies

Abstract

Regenerative therapies aim to develop novel treatments to restore tissue function. Several strategies have been investigated including the use of biomedical implants as three-dimensional artificial matrices to fill the defect side, to replace damaged tissues or for drug delivery. Bioactive implants are used to provide growth environments for tissue formation for a variety of applications including nerve, lung, skin and orthopaedic tissues. Implants can either be biodegradable or non-degradable, should be nontoxic and biocompatible, and should not trigger an immunological response. Implants can be designed to provide suitable surface area-to-volume ratios, ranges of porosities, pore interconnectivities and adequate mechanical strengths. Due to their broad range of properties, numerous biomaterials have been used for implant manufacture. To enhance an implant’s bioactivity, materials can be functionalised in several ways, including surface modification using proteins, incorporation of bioactive drugs, growth factors and/or cells. These strategies have been employed to create local bioactive microenvironments to direct cellular responses and to promote tissue regeneration and controlled drug release. This chapter provides an overview of current bioactive biomedical implants, their fabrication and applications, as well as implant materials used in drug delivery and tissue regeneration. Additionally, cell- and drug-based bioactivity, manufacturing considerations and future trends will be discussed.

Current Advances on the Regeneration of Musculoskeletal Interfaces

“…The advantages of using synthetic materials are the ability to customize their shapes and the possibility to control their degradation rate by changing the composition of the polymer 48 . However, their bio-inactivity increases the risk of rejection and by-products of their degradation can be toxic 49 . Moreover, the adhesion of cells is often not promoted 50 .…”

“…Hydrogels containing ECM components are widely used [86][87][88] . Fabrication techniques are widely described in Domingues-Goncalves et al 2020 49 , Jose et al, 2016 89 , Lanza et al 2020 90 and Yadegari et al, 2018 81 . In Eltom et al, 2019 91 , advantages and disadvantages of fabrication techniques are described and a comparison of conventional and modern technique applied in tissue engineering is reported.…”

Implants for different types of cancer: an updated review

“…Biomaterials have evolved into potent tools for drug delivery and targeted localization, enabling precise management of loaded agents in terms of both space and time [13]. Implants are artificial devices designed for insertion into the body to replace or support a biological structure, offering functionalities such as drug delivery and monitoring body functions [14].…”

Triphasic 3D In Vitro Model of Bone-Tendon-Muscle Interfaces to Study Their Regeneration

“…PCL is also used for MTJ studies [25,26]. The advantage of using synthetic polymers is their easy handling [27]; however, their bioactivity can induce an immune response when implanted [28]. Furthermore, their by-products can be toxic and cell adhesion is not always promoted [29].…”