In the realm of aged bone repair, materiobiology emphasises the meticulous modulation and restoration of biological functions at various levels — cellular, tissue, organ, and organism — through the use of functionalized biomaterials.
In the elderly, a multitude of factors contribute to diminished bone regeneration capabilities. These include a reduction in the self-renewal and differentiation abilities of mesenchymal stem cells, an excessive accumulation of inflammatory signals, compromised blood vessel regeneration capacity, an imbalance between bone anabolism and catabolism, and inadequate bone innervation.
While biomaterials have enhanced the therapeutic outcomes for bone regeneration, their efficacy is notably reduced in the context of aged bone regeneration.
Consequently, it is important to devise new biomaterial design strategies specifically aimed at rejuvenating aged bone.
The materiobiology approach leverages a systematic amalgamation of ‘elements’ from the biomaterial ‘toolbox’, which encompasses biochemical factors, such as growth factors, polypeptides, chemical and biological drugs, and genes, as well as tailored biophysical effects such as composition, mechanical properties, two-dimensional topography, three-dimensional geometry, as well as advanced delivery and fabrication technologies.
In a new review, the authors comprehensively discuss the current characteristics of aged bone regeneration, typical ‘elements’ within the biomaterial ‘toolbox’, and the ongoing procedures for material design.
To enhance the design of biomaterials for correcting disordered biological functions in aged bone, a ‘toolbox’ comprising various essential ‘elements’ has been established/
Guided by this material design strategy, standard material design procedures are summarised as follows:
- Identifying critical disordered biological functions as therapeutic targets for bone repair in the elderly.
- Based on the characteristics of the selected biological functions, synergistically combining ‘elements’ from the biomaterial ‘toolbox’ with artificial intelligence (AI) support.
- Optimising the ‘elements’ of modular biomaterials for aged bone regeneration through iterative refinements of composition and structure using in vitro high-throughput fabrication and evaluation technologies.
- Conducting in vivo validation of the optimised biomaterials in small animals and non-human primates to facilitate clinical translation. Further refinement of this material design strategy focuses on uncovering new aspects of biological functions that impede aged bone regeneration and developing novel ‘elements’ targeting specific biological functions. The establishment of a specialised database to match specific biological functions with modular biomaterial ‘elements’ through artificial intelligence presents a promising avenue for accelerating aged bone regeneration.