Designing Smart Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering

The engineering of human tissues to cure diseases is an interdisciplinary and a very attractive field of research both in academia and the biotechnology industrial sector. Three-dimensional (3D) biomaterial scaffolds can play a critical role in the development of new tissue morphogenesis via interacting with human cells. Although simple polymeric biomaterials can provide mechanical and physical properties required for tissue development, insufficient biomimetic property and lack of interactions with human progenitor cells remain problematic for the promotion of functional tissue formation. Therefore, the developments of advanced functional biomaterials that respond to stimulus could be the next choice to generate smart 3D biomimetic scaffolds, actively interacting with human stem cells and progenitors along with structural integrity to form functional tissue within a short period. To date, smart biomaterials are designed to interact with biological systems for a wide range of biomedical applications, from the delivery of bioactive molecules and cell adhesion mediators to cellular functioning for the engineering of functional tissues to treat diseases.