Design, clinical translation and immunological response of biomaterials in regenerative medicine

• Published in: Nature reviews. Materials Vol. 1; no. 7; p. 16040
• Main Authors: Sadtler, Kaitlyn, Singh, Anirudha, Wolf, Matthew T., Wang, Xiaokun, Pardoll, Drew M., Elisseeff, Jennifer H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 07.06.2016; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/61/2035; 692/698/1543/1565; 692/698/1671/1354; Abnormalities; Biomaterials; Biomedical materials; Cartilage; Chemistry and Materials Science; Condensed Matter Physics; Cornea; Design parameters; Immune system; Immunology; Materials Science; Nanotechnology; Optical and Electronic Materials; Regeneration (physiology); Regenerative medicine; review-article; Scaffolds; Tissue engineering
• ISSN: 2058-8437; 2058-8437
• DOI: 10.1038/natrevmats.2016.40

The field of regenerative medicine aims to replace tissues lost as a consequence of disease, trauma or congenital abnormalities. Biomaterials serve as scaffolds for regenerative medicine to deliver cells, provide biological signals and physical support, and mobilize endogenous cells to repair tissues. Sophisticated chemistries are used to synthesize materials that mimic and modulate native tissue microenvironments, to replace form and to elucidate structure–function relationships of cell–material interactions. The therapeutic relevance of these biomaterial properties can only be studied after clinical translation, whereby key parameters for efficacy can be defined and then used for future design. In this Review, we present the development and translation of biomaterials for two tissue engineering targets, cartilage and cornea, both of which lack the ability to self-repair. Finally, looking to the future, we discuss the role of the immune system in regeneration and the potential for biomaterial scaffolds to modulate immune signalling to create a pro-regenerative environment. The clinical translation of biomaterials for tissue engineering reveals their therapeutic performance and relevance, and thus enables the improvement of biomaterials design. In this Review, the design and translation of biomaterials, particularly cartilage and cornea repair, and a new understanding of the interaction between biomaterials and the host immune system are discussed.