A Way Forward
One of the emerging concepts in the field of biomedical engineering is the ‘Bedside-Bench-Bedside’ concept. The development of any new biomaterials/tissue engineered product/translational approach should be driven by the patient’s need. The specific need
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A Way Forward
12.1
Smart Design Concepts in Bone Tissue Engineering
The decades of research on biomaterials has been partly translated to commercial products for a range of biomedical application. This can be further substantiated by the fact that several orthopedic biomaterials have been designed and are currently available in the market, such as ProOsteon® BoneSave® (Stryker, UK) and REGENOSS®, ENGIPORE® (Fin-Ceramica, Italy). In the case of complex shaped and non-uniform bone defects the existing clinical options have not yet offered a satisfactory result and there remains a complicated clinical challenge (Fig. 12.1). To overcome such difficulties, injectable biomaterials systems can offer clinically relevant solution for a minimally invasive surgical procedure [1]. There are also several injectable biomaterials that are available in the market and are being used for bone regeneration applications in clinics, such as PREOB®, ALLOB® (BoneTherapeutics, BE), Nanogel® (Teknimed, France). However, clinical translations of current injectable biomaterials technology are also facing several engineering and biological challenges. The first challenge is that such implantable biomaterials can not reload the bioactive molecules after implantation to enhance the bone regeneration process. Secondly, vascularization is an essential parameter that accelerates new bone formation and should be adequately present in the newly developed biomaterials. The incorporation of bioactive molecules [vascularized endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and bone morphogenitic protein (BMP)] with a shorter time span of their efficacy cannot be an option, as the bone regeneration process takes place over a longer time span. Therefore, current bone tissue engineering strategies often fail to produce new bones with high densities of blood vessels in a short period of time. This aspect is currently under investigation in many leading research groups around the world.
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2017 B. Basu, Biomaterials for Musculoskeletal Regeneration, Indian Institute of Metals Series, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-3059-8_12
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Fig. 12.1 Various issues restricting effective and smooth ‘bedside-bench-bedside’ concept to facilitate better human healthcare
12.2
A Way Forward
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Innovative Design of Biomaterials—Functionally Graded Implants
It has been discussed in one of the chapters in this book that natural bone is a hierarchical nano biocomposite of collagen and hydroxyapatite. Although significant efforts are being invested to mimic structure and properties of natural bone in synthetic materials without considerable success. One class of materials, that are being researched to a rather limited extent for biomedical application, is the functionally gradient materials (FGM). Conceptually, FGM is distinctively different from composites, which are defined as a derivative classes of materials combining two different primary classes of materials (metals/ceramics/polymers) with an aim to obtain better combination of str
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