Bio-Inspired Calcium Phosphate Materials for Hard-Tissue Repair

E. Cunningham, G. Walker, F. Buchanan, N. Dunne

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapterpeer-review

Abstract

With the ongoing realization of the limitations of traditional bone repair, tissue engineers have a responsibility to develop alternatives that will enhance the functional capabilities of bone substitutes and eliminate the need for auto-, allo- or xeno-grafts. Recognizing that nature's capabilities are significantly ahead of modern-day technologies, engineers continue to mimic, with varying degrees of success, the highly effective and energy-efficient biological mechanisms found in organisms around the world. The solutions arrived at by millennia of evolution are a source of inspiration and an excellent starting point in the search for answers to modern-day problems.With regard to the development of bone substitutes, the past few decades have seen a plethora of biomimetic approaches as the prevailing theory is that the probability of successful in vivo integration is strengthened if the structure and composition mimics that of the healthy naturally interconnected bone it aims to replace. In attempting to achieve a compositional match, calcium phosphates have gained widespread clinical acceptance due to crystallographic similarities with the mineral component of human bone. Successful integration into the body, however, depends heavily on balancing interlinked and often opposing structural and biological requirements.This chapter aims to provide a brief insight into the evolution of biomimetic approaches and affirm the concept that complex inorganic forms, inspired by naturally occurring architectures, offers an exciting avenue for the construction of a new generation of calcium phosphate-based bone substitute scaffolds.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationBiomineralization and Biomaterials
Subtitle of host publicationFundamentals and Applications
PublisherElsevier Inc.
Pages405-442
Number of pages38
ISBN (Electronic)9781782423560
ISBN (Print)9781782423386
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016

Keywords

  • Bioceramics
  • Biomimetics
  • Calcium phosphates
  • Hard-tissue repair
  • Tissue engineering

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