Biologics for Bone and Soft Tissue Regeneration: What Is New, What Is True—Second Edition

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Biomedical Engineering and Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 2060

Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Sapienza University, Roma, Italy
2. Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Mile End Hospital, Queen Mary University of London, 275 Bancroft Road, London E1 4DG, UK
3. School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Keele University Faculty of Medicine, Thornburrow Drive, Stoke on Trent ST4 7QB, UK
Interests: orthopedics
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Guest Editor
Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry “Scuola Medica Salernitana”, University of Salerno, 84081 Baronissi, Italy
Interests: drug delivery systems; nanomedicine; tissue engineering; microfluidics technology; lipid nanoparticles; liposomes; polyesters-based carriers
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Injuries to the musculoskeletal system, including bones, ligaments, muscles, and tendons, can cause pain, losses of function, instability, and, in the long term, osteoarthritis. Traditionally, the management of these injuries involves activity modification, physical therapy, a variety of surgical procedures, and pharmacological agents, including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, viscosupplementation, and narcotics. All these modalities have limitations and potential side effects.

Over the last decade, there has been an increasing interest in the use of biologics in regenerative medicine applications. In regenerative medicine, functional tissue is engineered to repair, regenerate, or replace cells, tissues, or organs to restore and/or establish normal function lost due to age, disease, damage, or congenital defects. Biologics currently used in clinical practice include platelet-rich plasma, bone marrow aspirate, adipose tissue aspirate, amniotic fluid, amniotic membranes, umbilical-cord-derived Wharton’s Jelly, and umbilical cord blood. The healing potential of these products is attributed to their content of stem cells, growth factors, cytokines, hyaluronic acid, and extracellular vesicles, including exosomes.

The increasing applications of biologic therapies in regenerative medicine have led to considerable marketing efforts, patient demand, and clinical use. This collection highlights the current status of these biologic therapies and challenges and emerging trends in their use for regenerating musculoskeletal tissues, including bone and soft tissues. We welcome the submission of original research and review articles covering both fundamental and translational studies on topics including, but not limited to, the following:

  • The mechanisms of action of these biologics’ therapeutic effects;
  • The therapeutics effects of these biologics in regenerating bone and/or soft tissue(s);
  • Comparisons of therapies using these biologics to the current standard treatments;
  • Identifying research gaps to guide future research and streamline the translation to clinical utilization.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.

Dr. Ashim Gupta
Prof. Dr. Nicola Maffulli
Dr. Erwin Pavel Lamparelli
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • regenerative medicine
  • stem cells
  • exosomes
  • musculoskeletal injuries
  • osteoarthritis
  • tissue regeneration
  • tissue engineering
  • biologics
  • bone
  • soft tissue

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 378 KB  
Article
Safety and Efficacy of Autologous Bone-Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Treating Partial Rotator Cuff Tears: Observational Study with 4-Year Follow-Up
by Nicholas Hooper, Ahmad Alhusen, Hinnah Siddiqui, John Pitts, Prathap Jayaram and Chirstopher J. Williams
Biomedicines 2026, 14(2), 382; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines14020382 - 6 Feb 2026
Viewed by 1586
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Rotator cuff tears (RCTs) are a leading cause of shoulder pain and disability. Management typically involves conservative measures, such as physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medications, or surgery for full-thickness or refractory tears. Regenerative medicine therapies, including platelet-rich plasma (PRP), platelet lysate [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Rotator cuff tears (RCTs) are a leading cause of shoulder pain and disability. Management typically involves conservative measures, such as physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medications, or surgery for full-thickness or refractory tears. Regenerative medicine therapies, including platelet-rich plasma (PRP), platelet lysate (PL), and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), show promise as alternative treatment strategies, although long-term outcomes remain under investigation. Methods: This cohort included 30 patients with partial rotator cuff tears and were treated with culture-expanded MSC injections. There was no control group. Inclusion criteria included an imaging-confirmed diagnosis of partial-thickness rotator cuff tears. Outcomes were assessed at multiple time points up to 6 years. Pain and function were assessed using the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH), a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), and the modified Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE). Results: Thirty patients (37 shoulders) were included in the analysis. Significant improvements in the NRS and DASH scores were observed at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months (p < 0.01). Twenty-four months post-treatment, the mean NRS and DASH decreased by 2.25 and 15.93 points, respectively, and SANE improved by 60%. At six years, among seven respondents, the mean SANE improvement was 75.54%. During this study, no significant adverse events were reported. Conclusions: This study provides the longest known follow-up of MSC therapy for partial-thickness RCTs, finding sustained pain and functional improvements. The findings support further research into MSC-based and combination regenerative therapies as a viable alternative treatment option for partial-thickness rotator cuff tears. Full article
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