Centre for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development

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In situ enabling approaches for tissue regeneration: current challenges and new developments

Publication . Dias, Juliana R.; Ribeiro, Nilza; Baptista-Silva, Sara; Costa-Pinto, Ana Rita; Alves, Nuno; Oliveira, Ana. L.

In situ tissue regeneration can be defined as the implantation of tissue-specific biomaterials (by itself or in combination with cells and/or biomolecules) at the tissue defect, taking advantage of the surrounding microenvironment as a natural bioreactor. Up to now, the structures used were based on particles or gels. However, with the technological progress, the materials’ manipulation and processing has become possible, mimicking the damaged tissue directly at the defect site. This paper presents a comprehensive review of current and advanced in situ strategies for tissue regeneration. Recent advances to put in practice the in situ regeneration concept have been mainly focused on bioinks and bioprinting techniques rather than the combination of different technologies to make the real in situ regeneration. The limitation of conventional approaches (e.g., stem cell recruitment) and their poor ability to mimic native tissue are discussed. Moreover, the way of advanced strategies such as 3D/4D bioprinting and hybrid approaches may contribute to overcome the limitations of conventional strategies are highlighted. Finally, the future trends and main research challenges of in situ enabling approaches are discussed considering in vitro and in vivo evidence.

2020Journal article

Open access

Protein-based Hydroxyapatite materials: tuning composition towards biomedical applications

Publication . Veiga, Anabela; Castro, Filipa; Rocha, Fernando; Oliveira, Ana

Synthetic hydroxyapatite (HAp) has been successfully produced with the aim of obtaining biomaterials that meet the biomechanical requirements for bone tissue engineering while being compatible with the surrounding biochemical and cellular environment. Combining proteins with HAp can generate improved composite biomaterials, which are environmentally friendly, renewable and biocompatible. In this context, HAp/protein-based composite materials have been widely exploited since the late 20th century to the present day. In this review, we explore the biomedical relevance of the association of HAp with several proteins of interest such as fibroin, sericin, fibrin and keratin. The processing strategies for their synthesis and effect on the obtained shape and physicochemical, mechanical and biological performance are herein discussed. This work can provide useful information for the design of HAp-based biomaterials with specific emphasis on bone tissue regeneration characteristics for biomedical applications.

2020Journal article

Restricted access