Preclinical Evaluation of Biomaterials and Medical Devices for the Musculoskeletal System

Dear Colleagues,

In the orthopaedic field, the advancement of biomedical technology and the use of implant biomaterials for prosthetic surgery, implantology and osteosynthesis have resulted in great developments for patients, improving their quality of life, relieving pain, and allowing for healthy and better ageing. In recent years, technological innovation led and still leads to the exponential development of novel biomaterials and sophisticated medical devices, including nanomaterials, smart implantable devices, functionalized implant biomaterials and coatings, and controlled drug delivery technologies. These advances hold the promise of significant therapeutic benefits, but also introduce new complexities and potential risks. Consequently, it is imperative that preclinical evaluations are conducted with the utmost detail and rigor to demonstrate and guarantee the safety and efficacy of these novel products; extensive testing for biocompatibility, safety, and functional performance is required to identify any issues prior to clinical trials and large-scale deployment. This approach protects patient health and ensures that only the safest and most reliable and innovative medical devices reach the market.

Taking into account that the development of a new biocompatible material is a “multidisciplinary” approach, this Special Issue of Bioengineering entitled “Preclinical Evaluation of Biomaterials and Medical Devices for the Musculoskeletal System” encourages the submission of original basic, translational research and review articles focused on, but not limited to, in silico, in vitro and/or in vivo preclinical tests necessary to establish the safety, feasibility, biocompatibility and efficacy of innovative biomaterials and medical devices for orthopaedic applications. Moreover, we also encourage the submission of works on methods/techniques that may support the traditional regulatory steps for the evaluation of new biomaterials and medical devices, including the following examples:

- Physical–chemical properties of biomaterials;

- Functional performance of medical devices;

- Innovations and new technologies adopted to create new and more accurate preclinical models;

- Computational in silico models;

- Omic analyses;

- Advanced imaging techniques.

Dr. Silvia Brogini
Dr. Matilde Tschon
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Bioengineering is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• biomaterials and medical devices
• preclinical testing
• humanized advanced in vitro models
• orthopaedic applications