B ones are associated with hardness and stability, and yet, at least biologically speaking, they are hives of activity on the inside. When we think about their mechanical properties, we tend to envisage a lifeless, robust, simply structured material, but bones are actually incredibly complex and far more dynamic than all the artificial materials ever conceived by engineers. “This is a real chal...

The objective of this study is to investigate the efficacy of hybrid constructs in comparison to bone grafts (autograft and allograft) for posterolateral lumbar fusion (PLF) in sheep, instrumented with transpedicular screws and bars. Hybrid constructs using cultured bone marrow (BM) mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown promising results in several bone healing models. In particular, hybrid ...

Purpose: to verify the capability of scaffold-supported bone marrow-derived cells to be used in the repair of osteochondral lesions of the talus. Methods: using a device to concentrate bone marrowderived cells, a scaffold (collagen powder or hyaluronic acid membrane) for cell support and platelet gel, a one-step arthroscopic technique was developed for cartilage repair. In a prospective clinica...

PURPOSE Bone defects and nonunions are major clinical skeletal problems. Growth factors are commonly used to promote bone regeneration; however, the clinical impact is limited because the factors do not last long at a given site. The introduction of tissue engineering aimed to deter the diffusion of these factors is a promising therapeutic strategy. The purpose of the present study was to evalu...

Background and Objective: Umbilical Cord blood (UCB) hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation is a therapeutic approach for the treatment of malignant and non-malignant hematologic disorders due to ease of collection, lack of risk for donors and lower levels of infection. Moreover, it is considered a good alternative for bone marrow HSC transplantation. The main limitation of their use is ...

Background & Aims: Tissue engineering using somatic cells and synthetic extracellular matrix (scaffold) represents a new approach for regeneration of mineralized tissue and bone. This study was carried out to investigate the ability of a PLLA/HA scaffold to culture osteoblast cells in a three dimensional milieu. Method: Three bony samples were taken from extraction sites during surgical extract...

Scaffolds play a critical role in the practical realization of bone tissue engineering. The purpose of this study was to assess whether a core-sheath structure composite scaffold possesses admirable physical properties and biocompatibility in vitro. A novel scaffold composed of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)/β-tricalcium phosphate (PLGA/β-TCP) skeleton wrapped with Type I collagen via low-temper...

Today, organ and tissue transplantation remains one of the most important while complex options in order to restore or enhance life expectancy. Though it is a complex option, it is more preferable than other restorations due to its high success rate. The organ and tissue transplantation bring about the idea to generate bone scaffolds using natural bone like materials to treat bone losses, fract...

Functionally Graded Scaffolds (FGSs) are porous biomaterials where porosity changes in space with a specific gradient. In spite of their wide use in bone tissue engineering, possible models that relate the scaffold gradient to the mechanical and biological requirements for the regeneration of the bony tissue are currently missing. In this study we attempt to bridge the gap by developing a mecha...