Current Biomaterial-Based Bone Tissue Engineering and Translational Medicine

Abstract

Bone defects cause significant socio-economic costs worldwide, while the clinical “gold standard” of bone repair, the autologous bone graft, has limitations including limited graft supply, secondary injury, chronic pain and infection. Therefore, to reduce surgical complexity and speed up bone healing, innovative therapies are needed. Bone tissue engineering (BTE), a new cross-disciplinary science arisen in the 21st century, creates artificial environments specially constructed to facilitate bone regeneration and growth. By combining stem cells, scaffolds and growth factors, BTE fabricates biological substitutes to restore the functions of injured bone. Although BTE has made many valuable achievements, there remain some unsolved challenges. In this review, the latest research and application of stem cells, scaffolds, and growth factors in BTE are summarized with the aim of providing references for the clinical application of BTE.

Custom Bone Regeneration (CBR): An Alternative Method of Bone Augmentation—A Case Series Study

“…It suggests several and undoubted advantages, such as the potentially infinite quantity of material that can be used and the absence of further and more complex surgical interventions to obtain it. Another aspect to be considered, is the fundamental and intrinsic property of osteoconduction [ 16 , 17 , 18 ] (defined as the process by which the regeneration of new bone tissue is facilitated, acting as a temporary scaffold); the autologous bone, which is universally recognized as the gold standard for bone reconstructions, adds osteoinduction [ 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ] (the ability to stimulate the cells proposed to form bone by inducing or increasing their function precisely with the so-called growth factors and morphogenetic proteins induce the formation of bone) and osteogenesis [ 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 ] (the osteoblasts mediated process), which leads to the formation of new bone tissue starting from the graft.…”

Bone Healing Materials in the Treatment of Recalcitrant Nonunions and Bone Defects

“…Complications of autogenous bone graft procurement are usually minor, with a frequency of about 20%. However, these complications sometimes significantly affect the donor site and thus the patient (approximately 5%) [ 5 , 8 , 9 ].…”

Preparation and characterization of novel lithium magnesium phosphate bioceramic scaffolds facilitating bone generation

“…It remains challenging to repair critical-size bone defects, which are normally caused by accidental trauma, surgical resection and so on. 1,2 Transplantation of autologous, allogeneic, xenogeneic and artificial bones is considered an effective approach for the treatment of bone defects. 1,2 Artificial bone grafts have been well accepted by surgeons and patients due to the advantages of rich source, low cost and ease of functional design, and being free of disease transmission and ethical issues.…”

“…1,2 Transplantation of autologous, allogeneic, xenogeneic and artificial bones is considered an effective approach for the treatment of bone defects. 1,2 Artificial bone grafts have been well accepted by surgeons and patients due to the advantages of rich source, low cost and ease of functional design, and being free of disease transmission and ethical issues. 1,2 Phosphate, calcium, magnesium, sodium and carbonate constitute 98.5 wt% of ions in the human natural bone; 3 this feature provides guidance for developing artificial bone regenerative biomaterials.…”