A Composites Approach to Tissue Engineering

Composite materials based on biodegradable polymers and bioactive ceramics, including tricalcium phosphate, hydroxylapatite and bioactive glasses, are being considered increasingly as scaffolds for tissue engineering applications, especially for bone and cartilage tissue. The reason for adding bioactive phases to biodegradable polymers forming composite scaffolds is threefold: i) to enhance bioactivity, ii) to provide adequate control of the scaffold degradation rate, and iii) to enhance the mechanical properties and structural integrity of scaffolds. In the first part of this report a of recent composite approaches developed for bone tissue regeneration and repair is presented. In the second part a porous composite scaffold being developed and tested currently is described in terms of processing and behaviour in contact with simulated body fluid. The composite is made of a bioresorbable poly(D,L-lactide) foam impregnated and filled with bioactive glass (Bioglass®) particles.