Advanced Biomaterials for Tissue Regeneration
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Materials Science".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: thin films deposition (by pulsed laser deposition, PLD, and matrix assisted pulsed laser evaporation, MAPLE); biomaterials and protective coatings; characterization methods; natural origin calcium phosphates as sustainable biofunctional coatings for medical applications; biomimetic metallic implants; molecular mechanisms/interactions; tissue regeneration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: coatings for biomedical applications; nanoparticles embedded into biopolymeric spheres resistant to microbial colonization; targeted delivery of antibiotics in difficult infections; biocomposites
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The field of biomaterials has moved decisively beyond passive substitutes toward precise modulation of healing at the molecular scale. In the last decade, we have seen cell-instructive scaffolds, gels that adapt in real time to biochemical cues, and coatings that steer immune responses rather than merely tolerate them. With this Special Issue, “Advanced Biomaterials for Tissue Regeneration”, we invite studies that unravel how materials—natural, synthetic, or hybrid—shape soft and hard tissue repair through defined molecular mechanisms.
Our call builds on prior collections that highlighted soft–hard tissue regeneration and wound-healing biomaterials, where contributors emphasized smart materials, bioactivity/bioresorbability, and rigorous in vitro, in vivo, and clinical evaluation. Here, we extend that conversation and explicitly encourage mechanistic work that connects material design to cell signaling, immunomodulation, angiogenesis, innervation, and matrix remodeling in both soft tissues (e.g., skin, tendon, and nerve) and hard tissues (e.g., bone and dentin). Studies that probe how material properties—stiffness, viscoelasticity, topology, degradation products, and surface chemistry—translate into measurable biological outcomes are particularly welcome.
We are especially interested in contributions that (i) introduce responsive or bio-instructive platforms (e.g., load-bearing composites, injectable hydrogels, ECM-mimetic networks, and bioactive ceramics), (ii) couple materials with living components—stem/progenitor cells, organoids, engineered microbes—or with nano-enabled delivery of morphogens and immunotherapies, and (iii) leverage contemporary biofabrication (3D/4D printing, electrospinning, microfluidics) to create architectures that recapitulate native microenvironments. Advanced characterization—multi-omics readouts, high-resolution imaging, single-cell and spatial analyses, and quantitative mechanobiology—will strengthen causal claims. Submissions that compare preclinical models, report head-to-head material evaluations, or provide shareable datasets and protocols are encouraged.
Translational relevance matters. We welcome work that navigates the critical translational hurdles in regeneration: stable integration at the host–implant interface, control of inflammation and fibrosis, infection resilience, vascularization in large defects, and outcomes that persist under real mechanical loads. Methodological papers that raise the bar for reproducibility—standardized assays, reference materials, or validated in vitro–in vivo correlations—are also in scope. Finally, we are open to authoritative reviews that synthesize where the field stands and, candidly, where it still falls short, and focused communications reporting compelling, well-validated advances.
Considering all of these aspects, the aim of this Special Issue is to assemble a set of papers that not only demonstrate functional regeneration but also explain why a given material works: the pathways engaged, the cell states altered, and the design rules that emerge. Submissions that map material properties to molecular readouts and report them with methodological clarity and statistical rigor are particularly suited to this Special Issue.
Dr. Liviu Duta
Dr. Valentina Grumezescu
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
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Keywords
- biomaterials
- tissue regeneration
- molecular mechanisms
- cell-instructive scaffolds
- injectable hydrogels
- ECM-mimetic materials
- bioactive ceramics
- bioactive surface coatings
- mechanotransduction/mechanobiology
- immunomodulation
- angiogenesis and vascularization
- biofabrication (3D/4D printing)
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