Tissue Engineering Application of Decellularized Bone for Cranial Defect Repair

Large cranial defects are often repaired using graft materials that use new bone to protect the brain, one of the most crucial organs in our body. Currently available graft materials for cranial bone reconstruction include autografts, allografts, xenografts, and synthetic allografts. These options have several drawbacks including donor site morbidity, availability, immunogenic reaction, toxicity, etc. Moreover, the current cranial bone graft materials have additional limitations when further cranial surgery is needed. In an attempt to overcome these limitations, various alternative graft options have been engineered using synthetic or biomimetic materials in the form of porous scaffolds to treat large cranial defects.