Material design in hard tissue engineering

Abstract

Introduction: Considering the high incidence and the relatively large amount needed, the overall market share of the bone grafting materials is ~49% of the total field of biomaterials and thus many researchers focused their efforts in developing new and improved materials for hard tissue engineering. Considering the evolution of these materials, from morpho-compositional point of view there are 4 major generations: 1st Generation: Metals and Alloys; 2nd generation: Ceramics and Polymers; 3rd generation: Composite and Nanocomposites and 4th generation: Tissue Engineered NanoComposites. Even not yet totally agreed, the 5th generation seems to be the materials obtained by Materials Design and 3D printing is one of the most popular processing technique. Materials and Methods: the presentation will be focused on the materials design, synthesis, processing and characterization of the composite materials. Results: This presentation will be mainly focused on the evolution of the materials in the field, from compositional to morphological design including coatings and 3D printed grafts and loading these materials with specific active agents and drugs to use them in specific diseases such as osteoporosis, bone infection and cancer, etc. A special attention will be paid to the composite materials based on collagen and hydroxyapatite highlighting the influence of specific conditions that can alter their properties and certainly, the role of the loading agents. Considering the current trends at EU level, green and sustainability, circularity or blue approach are also exploited in developing bone grafting materials and to improve the properties and performances of the medical products. Conclusions: the overall performances of the materials used in hard tissue engineering are related to the composition and morphology while the presence of specific biological active agents can be essential in the treatment of specific bone-related diseases.