Biomimetic Therapeutics for Bone Regeneration: A Perspective on Antiaging Strategies

Abstract

Advances in modern medicine and the significant reduction in infant mortality have steadily increased the population's lifespan. As more and more people in the world grow older, incidence of chronic, noncommunicable disease is anticipated to drastically increase. Recent studies have shown that improving the health of the aging population is anticipated to provide the most cost‐effective and impactful improvement in quality of life during aging‐driven disease. In bone, aging is tightly linked to increased risk of fracture, and markedly decreased regenerative potential, deeming it critical to develop therapeutics to improve aging‐driven bone regeneration. Biomimetics offer a cost‐effective method in regenerative therapeutics for bone, where there are numerous innovations improving outcomes in young models, but adapting biomimetics to aged models is still a challenge. Chronic inflammation, accumulation of reactive oxygen species, and cellular senescence are among three of the more unique challenges facing aging‐induced defect repair. This review dissects many of the innovative biomimetic approaches research groups have taken to tackle these challenges, and discusses the further uncertainties that need to be addressed to push the field further. Through these research innovations, it can be noted that biomimetic therapeutics hold great potential for the future of aging‐complicated defect repair.