2016 Volume No 32 – pages 87-110
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Title: Tissue engineering and regenerative approaches to improving the healing of large bone defects |
Authors: S Verrier, M Alini, E Alsberg, SR Buchman, D Kelly, MW Laschke, MD Menger, WL Murphy, JP Stegemann, M Schütz, T Miclau, MJ Stoddart, C Evans |
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Address: AO Research Institute Davos, Clavadelerstrasse 8, 7270 Davos Platz, Switzerland
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E-mail: sophie.verrier at aofoundation.org |
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Key Words: Bone, vascularisation, scaffolds, gene therapy, stem cells, drug delivery, large bone defect, tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, translational and preclinical research. |
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Publication date: July 19th 2016 |
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Abstract: Despite the high innate regenerative capacity of bone, large osseous defects fail to heal and remain a clinical challenge. Healing such defects requires the formation of large amounts of bone in an environment often rendered hostile to osteogenesis by damage to the surrounding soft tissues and vasculature. In recent years, there have been intensive research efforts directed towards tissue engineering and regenerative approaches designed to overcome this multifaceted challenge. In this paper, we describe and critically evaluate the state-of-the-art approaches to address the various components of this intricate problem. The discussion includes (i) the properties of synthetic and natural scaffolds, their use in conjunction with cell and growth factor delivery, (ii) their vascularisation, (iii) the potential of gene therapies and (iv) the role of the mechanical environment. In particular, we present a critical analysis of where the field stands, and how it can move forward in a coordinated fashion. |
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Article download: Pages
87-110 (PDF file) |
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