Composite Scaffolds for Bone Regeneration and Drug Delivery

Dear Colleagues,

The combination of different types of natural or synthetic polymers such as proteins, polysaccharides or poly(α-hydroxy ester) with other materials as bioactive ceramics or bioglasses for the design of more clinically feasible bone scaffolds is growing. This strategy aims to merge the desirable properties of the different materials to improve scaffolds’ key parameters for their successful use, such as their mechanical stability, pore size, interconnectivity, and tissue interaction. Moreover, these composite scaffolds are being engineered as advanced delivery platforms for the local release of hormones, growth factors, and drugs emerging as multifunctional 3D structures. Nanotechnology is also being explored enabling the combination of nanostructures as liposomes or polymeric nanoparticles, aiming to expand scaffolds’ biofunctional properties and therapeutic activity.

Along with the multiple choice of materials, conventional scaffold fabrication techniques such as solvent-casting, particulate-leaching, and fiber mesh/fiber bonding are being replaced by additive manufacturing methods such as selective laser sintering, fused deposition modeling, and electron beam melting to circumvent some of the problems identified in first-generation scaffolds. Presently, the conjugation of computed tomography or magnetic resonance methods with sophisticated 3D-printing methodologies seeks the customization of scaffold size and shape to fit the defect region of each patient.

Along with intense research in the field, composite scaffold design and characterization is extremely challenging, relying on multidisciplinary knowledge, and multiple obstacles must be faced before their translation to the clinics, including regulation/safety issues.

This Special Issue aims to provide an update and discussion of the most exciting trends in the field regarding design, production, characterization, properties, and biological functions, as well as applications in the design of new treatments, highlighting the immense potential for creating next-generation multifunctional composite scaffolds that will open a new path for patient-oriented bone tissue engineering and target drug delivery approaches.

Assist. Prof. Ana Bettencourt
Assist. Prof. Isabel Ribeiro
Guest Editors

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