Bone Tissue Engineering: Nanomedicine Approaches

Tissue engineering focuses on the use of cellular and material-based therapies aimed at targeted tissue regeneration caused by traumatic, degenerative, and genetic disorders. Current treatments for bone injuries and defects that will not spontaneously heal employ replacement rather than regeneration, which is accompanied by long-term complications. In this chapter, attention is focused on state-of-the-art research techniques and materials that are aimed at alleviating these complications by inducing bone-healing rather than bone-substitution; specifically, the use of nanoscale materials and surface modifications in order to closely mimic the microenvironment of bone. Today, these nanoscale technologies are coming to the forefront in medicine because of their biocompatibility, tissue-specificity, and integration and ability to act as therapeutic carriers. Keywords: bone tissue engineering; nanomedicine; regenerative medicine; biomaterials; surface modification