Functional Scaffolds for Hard Tissue Engineering and Surgery

Dear Colleagues,

Hard tissue engineering is a rapidly advancing research field in frame of biomaterials engineering and regenerative medicine that seeks to restore or replace hard tissues—such as bone, osteochondral interfaces (and other skeletal tissues like cartilage, ligaments and tendons), enamel, dentin (and accompanying soft tissues like dental pulp and periodontal ligaments)—through the development of biomaterial-based, often cell- or biofactor-loaded three-dimensional porous implants/scaffolds. These scaffolds are designed to be surgically implanted (during surgical treatments used in hard tissue surgery, i.e., the orthopaedic surgery, the craniofacial surgery, the maxillofacial surgery, and the oral surgery) to regenerate load-bearing structures, repairing both their mechanical function and biological continuity. In reconstructing defects that exceed the tissue’s innate regenerative capacity and in repairing complex osteochondral interfaces—a persistent clinical challenge—engineered scaffolds serve as temporary templates that guide new tissue formation while providing mechanical support under physiological loads. Recent advances in biomaterials chemistry and engineering, biofunctionalization, and additive manufacturing now enable the creation of scaffolds with graded microarchitectures, multi-material compositions, and programmed release of bioactive cues, allowing for designs that better mimic anatomical gradient biostructures, control cell behavior, and synchronize tissue degradation with new tissue formation. Beyond osteoconductive microarchitectures, current efforts focus on scaffolds that provide a 3D microenvironment capable of actively instructing repair (osteoinductive, angiogenic, immunomodulatory), preventing or treating infection (through intrinsic antimicrobial features or local drug delivery), and addressing adjunct needs such as localized cancer therapies or enhanced vascular ingrowth.

This Special Issue aims to exhibit and discuss the latest advancements in functional scaffolds for hard tissue engineering and surgery, including design strategies, new biomaterials, fabrication methods, biological functionalization, and preclinical or translational studies that link scaffold parameters to functional outcomes under clinically relevant mechanical and biological conditions. It is our pleasure to invite you to submit a manuscript to this Special Issue. Full papers, communications, and reviews are welcome.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Approaches to functionalize scaffolds for biological activity;
• Development and characterization of functional scaffolds for hard tissue engineering and surgery;
• New biomaterials and bioactive factors for hard-tissue repair;
• Fabrication methods (conventional and additive) and design workflows;
• Infection control and controlled drug delivery from scaffolds;
• In vitro and in vivo validation of functional scaffolds.

Prof. Dr. Ryszard Uklejewski
Dr. Mariusz Winiecki
Dr. Mikołaj Dąbrowski
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.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Functional Biomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.