Biomimesis and biomorphic transformations: New concepts applied to bone regeneration

In the last decades the activity of material scientists was more and more directed to the development of biomimetic scaffolds, able to drive and address cell activity towards proper differentiation and the repair of diseased human tissues. In case of bone, this requires the synthesis of three-dimensional constructs able to exchange chemical signals promoting osteogenesis and to progressively be resorbed during the formation and remodelling of new bone. Besides, particularly for the regeneration of extensive portions of bone, a morphological and mechanical biomimesis is also required, to allow cell colonization and formation of a proper vascularization tree. The healing of load-bearing bones also requires scaffolds with a hierarchically organized morphology, to provide improved biomechanical behaviour and allow a proper mechano-transduction of the mechanical stimuli down to the cell level. The present paper is an overview of the current technologies and devices developed in the last decade for the regeneration of bone tissue. In particular, novel biomimetic and biomorphic scaffolds, obtained by the controlled transformation of native ligneous structures, promise to adequately face the problem of obtaining complex hierarchical structures, not achievable otherwise by any currently existing manufacturing techniques. (C) 2011 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.