By: R. Comesaña1, F. Lusquiños1, J. del Val1, T. Malot2, A. Riveiro1, F. Quintero1, M. Boutinguiza1, P.Aubry2,3, J. Pou1
1 Applied Physics Dpt., Universidade de Vigo, E.T.S. Ingenieros Industriales, Lagoas-Marcosende, E-36310, Vigo, SPAIN
2 ERDT/STAMP, Arts et Métiers Paris Tech, 151 Bd de l’Hôpital, 75013, Paris, FRANCE
3 DEN/DPC/SCP/LILM, CEA/Saclay, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, FRANCE
A common challenge in regenerative medicine is the repair of bone defects produced by severe trauma, tumors resection, or congenital deformity. When the defect is relatively large, bone self healing is not produced by the body, and the so called critical‑size defect requires an implant or bone graft material addition to perform osseous reconstruction.
One approach to solve this problem is the use of autogenous bone grafts. Harvested bone from the same patient is utilized to fill the defect, reducing the possibilities of graft rejection. Nevertheless, this solution has some drawbacks like additional pain and different post‑operative complications. Thus, in these days, the scientific community is putting much effort in the development of synthetic material implants capable to replace the lost bone and to mimic its biological functions. Continue reading