Engineered Biomaterials as a Scaffold for Bone Regeneration

Abstract

The regeneration and/or replacement of bone tissue is traditionally done through surgical methods such as bone grafts. To keep up with the demand of the aging human population, more research is needed to study accessible, low cost methods to combat bone degradation and bone diseases. Bone tissue has now become a focal point for the development of new biocompatible materials and hydrogels. Different materials can be used as scaffolds  in the regeneration process of damaged bone tissue. A study done by Obregon-Miano et al., (2019) has researched a biocompatible substance made from porcine (pig) extracellular matrix (connective tissue)  that has shown great potential as a foundational material for bone regeneration. The substance demonstrated high stability, low degradation, and high cell compatibility for osteogenic cell proliferation. The material also demonstrated high compression tolerance and controlled swelling, an essential characteristic for bone regeneration. This substance can prove to be a foundational material for future in vivo testing that can eventually lead to substances that could potentially help in the regeneration of damaged bone tissue.