On the Horizon: Instructive nanomaterials hold the potential to mimic tissue complexity

Our bodies have the amazing ability to self-trigger tissue regeneration when required to repair or renew tissues. Adult stem cells emerge from their niche and are instructed by local environmental factors to differentiate into the needed specific phenotypes once they have migrated to the target sites. For example, the complex weaving of collagen filaments composing the tissue framework not only offers nanoscaled topographical cues to cells but also its stiffness may influence their differentiation. Specific biomolecules, secreted by glands or other cells and transported by body fluids, also provide instructive indications to cells. In this sense, combinations of various physical and chemical stimuli at the micro- and nanoscale are crucial in regenerating tissues.

[1]  Huipin Yuan,et al.  Chapter 11: Surface Structure of Nanocomposites and Its Properties: A Practical Example , 2014 .

[2]  D. Grijpma,et al.  Influence of polymer molecular weight in osteoinductive composites for bone tissue regeneration. , 2013, Acta biomaterialia.

[3]  D. Grijpma,et al.  Controlling dynamic mechanical properties and degradation of composites for bone regeneration by means of filler content. , 2013, Journal of the mechanical behavior of biomedical materials.

[4]  F. Tay,et al.  Intrafibrillar Collagen Mineralization Produced by Biomimetic Hierarchical Nanoapatite Assembly , 2011, Advanced materials.

[5]  Yi Yan Yang,et al.  Biomimetic hydrogels for chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells to neocartilage. , 2010, Biomaterials.

[6]  Huipin Yuan,et al.  Osteoinductive ceramics as a synthetic alternative to autologous bone grafting , 2010, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[7]  S. Mann,et al.  Bone‐like Resorbable Silk‐based Scaffolds for Load‐bearing Osteoregenerative Applications , 2009 .

[8]  Y. Levi-Kalisman,et al.  Matrices of Acidic β‐Sheet Peptides as Templates for Calcium Phosphate Mineralization , 2008 .

[9]  T. Webster,et al.  Enhanced functions of vascular cells on nanostructured Ti for improved stent applications. , 2007, Tissue engineering.

[10]  M. Meyyappan,et al.  Vertically Aligned Carbon Nanofiber Architecture as a Multifunctional 3-D Neural Electrical Interface , 2007, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering.

[11]  C. V. van Blitterswijk,et al.  Relevance of Osteoinductive Biomaterials in Critical‐Sized Orthotopic Defect , 2006, Journal of orthopaedic research : official publication of the Orthopaedic Research Society.

[12]  Eshel Ben-Jacob,et al.  Engineered self-organization of neural networks using carbon nanotube clusters , 2005 .

[13]  Hui Hu,et al.  Chemically Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes as Substrates for Neuronal Growth. , 2004, Nano letters.