MICROENGINEERED POLYMER-AND CERAMIC-BASED BIOMATERIAL SCAFFOLDS: A TOPICAL REVIEW ON DESIGN, PROCESSING, AND BIOCOMPATIBILITY PROPERTIES - Micro and Nanotechnologies in Engineering Stem Cells and Tissues - page 83

Fabrication

Physical properties Microstructure

Bone
analogue
materials

Surface properties Antimicrobial properties

In vitro biomineralization In vitro biocompatibility

In vivo biocompatibility

FIGURE 4.2 Schematic illustrating various approaches or issues to be critically considered
while developing bone analogue materials. Adapted fromRef. [20], with permission from John
Wiley and Sons.

cells and encourages the surroundings essential for tissue repair. Another approach of
tissue engineering is to work with the body's tissues in vitro. In this approach, a small
sample of cells is taken from the body, usually with a needle, and then the cells are
grown in great number in a laboratory (Fig. 4.3). 21 They may still be grown over
scaffolding to give them the necessary shape. These tissues can then be transplanted
back into the body.
A summary of the combination of aspects related to fabrication as well as physical
and biological properties of bone analogue materials is given in Figure 4.4. As far as
the fabrication and microstructure are concerned, there is a wide range of processing
techniques, which provide variation in microstructure. Among the physical propert-
ies, strength, modulus, and toughness are the important parameters. The physical
properties are related to the microstructure as well the surface properties of the as-
processed material. Surface properties include the surface roughness, porosity,

FIGURE 4.3 Schematic showing the tissue-engineering concept using a hypothetical
example of implantation of scaffold for leg regeneration. Adapted from Ref. [20], with
permission from John Wiley and Sons.